The Chronicles of Korra
by drfrankensara
Summary: "'As recognizable as yours always was, father.' Amon muttered, throwing back his hood and removing the mask. Beneath the facade gleamed Noatak, as angry as the day he'd left." A collection TLOK drabbles. Multi-ship. Open for prompts.
1. beginning

**AN: To my past readers, I'm very sorry. I promise I'll get back to Shadow of a Dream and 10 Things eventually. I never give up on projects, they just get forgotten for a little while. **

**Moving on. These are drabbles I've been working on in accordance with the 30 days of writing challenge on tumblr. Each day is a different prompt. Please note that I am open to taking prompts as well. I hope you guys enjoy. **

**Also, as a side note, any Korra centric shipping in these will usually be Makorra so please no flaming. I enjoy fostering positive criticism environments. **

**Also note that the first couple of these were written before episode 9. **

**That will be all. **

**beginning**

It's snowing. It reminds her of the south pole. She thinks about calling it home but she isn't quite sure what home is anymore. Is the White Lotus compound home? Is Air Temple Island home? They are both good and bad for different reasons, so Korra can't decide.

The cuts and bruises have healed, though she worries the scratch on her face will be a permanent scar. She'd met Fire Lord Zuko before and she knows he would tell her not to let the scar symbolize anything more than what it actually is, but she can't help it. It bothers her. Like it's another failure. Whether it's a past or future failure she can't decide.

Tarrlok was arrested. At least she'd made contact with the spirit world—not directly of course, but she'd been able to access Aang's memories. Her friends had found her. Tenzin took care of Tarrlok with surprising efficiency. She told herself not to underestimate his temper ever again.

She told herself that she'd done the best she could. She told herself that things could have been worse. She told herself that everything would turn out alright in the end. But these thoughts didn't have much of an effect. She still sat out on the edge of the cliff on Air Temple Island, her hand pressed to her cheek while she tried to heal the scar that wouldn't go away. She still tried to contain tears as she considered that Amon was still out there and she still wasn't able to airbend or enter the Avatar State or have any semblance of control over anything that really mattered. She was a loose cannon and she knew it.

She'd survived this long, but it was really only the beginning. And that was the scariest thought of all.


	2. accusation

accusation

They'd been fighting for the last twenty minutes. Bolin just wanted it to stop.

"My fault? How is it my fault?" Korra stood at one end of the training area, her fists clenched at her side. The charred remains of their battle plan fluttered through the air between her and Mako. He seemed to have lost all logical control over his eyebrows. The pair of them seemed to radiate heat and neither of them seemed particularly conscious of the other six or so people around them trying to regain their attention.

"If you hadn't gone in hands blazing we wouldn't have had to give up our location. We could have taken out that cell!" Mako accused heatedly. Bolin had long lost track of how they'd gotten on the subject of the previous attack on the Equalists; now he could only marvel at the sheer amount of emotion his brother was displaying. He'd never seen Mako look quite so ridiculous. He also never knew his brother's eyebrows could curl up that much. Briefly he wondered if his own eyebrows were capable of such acrobatics. For several moments he tried to test this theory, though without much success.

He glanced up at the other members of their circle, a helplessness falling over him. Asami looked rather confused, though it seemed like she wanted to say something but knew it was probably better not to. Katara looked downright gleeful, like this was the reliving of a happy memory. She chatted quite animatedly with Fire Lord Zuko who seemed to feel most awkward around other people. Tenzin was turning several shades of purple that Bolin was certain were probably not conducive to breathing. And Lin Beifong seemed to be entertaining herself by metal bending a coin up and down in her hands.

"Well maybe I should take you out!" Korra shot back, a pout forming on her lips. One of her fists ignited. Katara waved a hand, having finished her jovial chat with Zuko, and extinguished the Avatars flame.

"Have a seat, Korra." Katara said as if nothing amiss had transpired. Bolin marveled at the effectiveness of this strategy and filed it away to ask Katara about her magic later.


	3. restless

restless

Mako knew Korra was a restless person. She radiated energy no matter where or what she was doing. She never seemed to stop moving or thinking or _being_ and he couldn't help wondering if this was just an inherent part of being the Avatar. He'd grown up with this weight on his shoulders: the raising of Bolin, their survival. But he couldn't imagine living with HER burden. The fate of the world rested on the Avatar. She couldn't afford not to be restless.

The moon was high and full. A chill went through him at what it represented. If Tarrlok was such a powerful blood bender, what could have happened to Korra if it had been a full moon. The thought worried him more than he was willing to admit. He wondered if they'd been careless taking on the Equalists themselves. If they hadn't tried to fight outside the law then maybe he and Asami and Bolin wouldn't have been arrested. Then Korra wouldn't have confronted Tarrlok. He wouldn't have kidnapped her. None of this would have happened.

But he couldn't dwell on these facts. He didn't survive eighteen years of his life by dwelling on what he could no longer change. He could only move forward.

Korra had a favorite spot for reflection on the island. He'd noticed it weeks ago, before this all happened. She'd sit out on the cliff. Sometimes she would meditate, but it wasn't very effective so she mostly sat out staring at the water. Occasionally she would cry, though it was a rare sight and Mako didn't relish it. It was a painful thing for him to watch because Korra was so… Korra. Confident and strong and fearless and sometimes he forgot she was a seventeen year old girl. It was so easy to forget.

He approached her slowly. She seemed to be meditating, her hands joined in her lap and her head held high, towards the moon. The scar on her cheek was still bright and shiny. It served only to remind him that he wasn't able to help her that night. It bothered him more than he would probably ever admit.

"I can hear you breathing, cool guy." She said. There was a slight smile on her lips, but she didn't open her eyes.

He sat down next to her, a smirk playing on his face. "Clearly you're very deep in meditation."

"Haven't you heard? It's what I'm best at." Korra stated sarcastically, her posture deflating. She blew some strands of hair out of her eyes and shifted to wrap her arms around her knees. "So what are you doing out here?"

Mako shrugged. "Watching you."

Korra startled a little but recovered quickly. "That's not creepy."

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I just—I noticed you come out here a lot at night. I wanted to check on you because… I just want to make sure you're okay." The words stumbled out in an uncertain rhythm. He couldn't really look at her and he hated that but it couldn't be helped.

Korra's face softened and she unconsciously touched the scratch on her face. "I'm okay, Mako. But thanks for checking up on me." She paused, studying him a long moment.

"So you can't sleep either then?" He shook his head. He wondered, very briefly, if he wasn't just as restless as she was sometimes.


	4. snowflake

Posting twice today because **I CAN**.

snowflake

Not for the first time, Bolin woke with snowflakes on his eyelashes.

"It's time to get up Bo." Fourteen year old Mako was tall. As tall as their father was. He sprouted up in the course of a few days, it seemed like, though if Bo was being honest, he'd lost count of the days, even the years, long ago. Mako always knew though.

Bo pulled the scarf from around his neck and held it out to Mako, shivering a little in it's absence but determined to give it back. Mako cherished very little as far as material possessions went, but Bolin noticed he seemed to relax whenever he wore their fathers scarf. Mako's nose was red and running a little and Bolin worried, very briefly, if his older brother was getting sick. Not that Mako would ever admit it. Bolin saw these things but was always helpless to do anything.

The morning had brought a fresh snow shower. It fell around them, under the tree, in a peaceful blanket. When Bolin was much younger he'd relished snowfall. Now it made him nervous. Now it represented hypothermia and amputations. Neither of which the brothers could afford.

"There's a soup kitchen on the west side. I figure if I sneak in I might be able to steal us enough to last the week." Mako mused, scanning the horizon. He fiddled with the scarf idly, a rare nervous habit.

"Hey Mako." Bolin said, standing with his stout little legs and brushing off snow from his coat.

"Yeah Bo?" He couldn't seem to pull himself from the calculations in his head.

"Do you think the Avatar knows about street rats?" It was an innocuous question. People had been talking about the new Avatar all over the city. He and Mako even sneaked into one of the moving pictures to see some footage of her water bending. Bolin had remarked she was kind of like a deranged blue otter-hog but Mako had merely scoffed and left the theater dissatisfied. People, Bo had noticed, we're not particularly fond of the new Avatar. Not because of who she was necessarily, but because Aang was gone and now Republic City was losing its edge while she continued to train in the Southern water tribe.

Mako grimaced. "No, Bo, I doubt she does."

"But do you think if she did that she'd try to help us? That's what the Avatar is supposed to do, right?" Bo didn't really know what the Avatar was. He grew up without one. But he liked the idea of the Avatar. It seemed quite brilliant. He liked the idea that one day maybe he and Mako wouldn't have to keep fighting to survive. He liked the idea of seeing Mako happy some day. Maybe, he mused, the Avatar could make that happen.

"I don't know. Maybe." Mako mused skeptically. He hoisted their bag onto his shoulder and gestured for his brother to follow. "Come on, Bolin, we need to get moving if we want to get to the soup kitchen before breakfast is over."


	5. haze

haze

Korra can't breathe through the smoke. She tries to air bend it away, but the warehouse is cramped and there's nowhere for the cloud to go.

"Mako? Bolin? Tenzin? Beifong? Anybody?" Korra calls desperately though the haze, her throat choking on every other syllable. The toxic air is beginning to muddy her thoughts and she finds she can't concentrate on moving her foot left and right.

Eventually she stumbles, her head colliding with the corner of a wooden crate. She rolls onto her back, clutching her head to stifle the pain. She groans and pulls her fingers away to see blood. Not much but enough to make her stomach drop out of her body. "Tenzin? Mako?" She tries again a little more weakly this time.

"Korra?" Her heart races at his voice and she sits bolt upright, blinking through the spots in her eyes.

"Tenzin! I'm here!" He appears with a cloud of fresh air, his yellow and red robes singed and billowing with power. She can see the flames rising behind him and it takes every bit of strength for her to force them down to a manageable size. "Have you found the others?"

He nods, extending his hand to her. "They're all outside. Let's get you out of here." He pulls her up and she throws her arm over his shoulder. She feels steady enough but her vision is still dancing.

When they emerge into the fresh night air, Korra can't help the euphoric laugh that escapes her. "Well that could have gone better." She says with a cheeky smile, leaning against Asami's car for support.

"Understatement of the century." Mako says, a towel pressed to his head where a small cut bleeds freely. He and Bolin stand several feet from the flaming warehouse treating minor injuries. Tenzin has stepped away with Lin to discuss the Equalist cell they'd unfortunately lost track of in the fire.

Mako picks up a bucket out of the back seat of the car, tossing his bloody towel aside. He crosses around the front of the car and offers the bucket to Korra who smiles guiltily and bends the water up to the wound on her head. After a minute or so of work, she stops and Mako steps up to examine the wound. "That was seriously reckless, Korra." He says under his breathe, his fingers brushing back strands of her hair to get a better look.

"I feel like I've heard this speech before." Korra replies petulantly. Mako rolls his eyes and lets her hair fall back over her eyes.

"And it won't be the last time, I'm sure." Mako states, his hands falling to his side. He'd kind of accepted Korra's recklessness but that didn't stop him from scolding her about it every once in awhile.

Korra stands up straight, her fingertips skimming his forehead until they run over the cut in his temple. He winces. She bends the water from the bucket back up to his face and she watches his eyes as the water glows and heals under her hands.

Eventually she stops, letting the water cascade down her arm to the ground. "You worry too much." She says, her hand dropping to his neck and pulling him down to meet her. He meets her without hesitation and before either of them knows it they've been kissing consistently for several minutes.

"There's a time and place for that, Korra." Tenzin calls to them. Korra is happily lost in his haze and doesn't surface immediately, even when Mako tries in vain to pull away.

When she finally does resurface she looks mischievous. "Yes, there is. Right after a near death experience is the time and the place." She says and hops gleefully into the back seat of the car.

"But you have those almost every day." Bolin notes, his brow pulling together.

"Exactly."


	6. flame

flame

Of the elements Korra had mastered thus far, fire was her favorite.

Fire fell to her will even quicker than earth did, though all three of them had been relatively simple. Water was her first, of course, but fire was the one that felt right. It unsettled her masters more than any of them was willing to admit. Katara never seemed worried though, and for that Korra was grateful.

Was it really any wonder, then, that the first boy she'd fall for in Republic City would be a fire bender?

What was most mystifying, however, was the fact that he was, by every stereotype in the book, a water bender. Calm, cool-headed, fluid. They were polar opposites in many ways and this was only emphasized by the many arguments they got into on a daily basis.

But really, it couldn't be helped. Korra wasn't so thick that she could ignore that little niggling thing in her chest that squirmed when they were fighting, training, close. It was a flame of its own and it would not be extinguished, no matter how hard she tried to douse it out.

There were spans of time, during that torturous separate closeness, where fire wasn't her favorite anymore.

She'd realized that fire could burn.


	7. formal

formal

As the Avatar, Korra was expected to abide by a certain standard of living. This entailed going to "important" functions in order to make the appearance of peace and acceptance all across Republic City.

These functions included parties.

Korra stood in her bedroom on Air Temple Island, glaring down at the dress Pema had laid out for her. It was now mid summer. The dress was in her favorite shade of blue but it was also much shorter than she had anticipated. The hem hit her mid-calf and the top might as well have been strapless for all the support the straps gave. The dress glittered and fluttered and Korra couldn't think of a greater torture than the one before her. She poked it where it lie on the bed. She fiddled with the shiny fringe and grimaced at the sequins.

By all intents and purposes it was an unnatural garment.

Asami entered and Korra nearly jumped out of her skin. "Korra! You're supposed to be getting dressed. We've got to leave in a few minutes." Asami looked lovely in a similarly bedazzled red number, her wavy black hair pulled back in a decadent bun. Since defeating Amon she'd overtaken her father's forgotten empire. She was no inventor, but she certainly was a savvy business woman.

Korra pouted as Asami lifted the blue dress off the bed. "This is lovely, Korra. Go on, put it on. If it will make you feel better, I can do your hair." Asami smiled, placating, and turned around so that Korra could change.

"I don't see why I have to go to this stupid thing anyway. It's not like they need me there or anything." Korra complained under her breath as she stripped and pulled the slinky dress over her hips.

"It's the new council members' inauguration. You've gotta make sure people know you're behind them." Asami granted patiently, turning to look at Korra. The elder girl smiled delightedly at the Avatar. "Korra! You look great."

Korra didn't seem convinced. "I feel like a popsicle."

"Nonsense! Sit." Asami commanded, beginning to work at Korra's hair.

"Anyway, I already showed my support. I voted for them didn't I?" Korra continued their argument, wincing as Asami worked at a knot near Korra's neck.

"It's a gesture of good faith. And probably an excuse to get the Avatar in a dress." Asami tried not to laugh as she began pinning strands of Korra's hair back.

"Yeah, but I hate getting dressed up for formal events like these. It feels so awkward." She replied, picking at the sequins in her lap. There was something nervous in the gesture. When Korra was fighting she felt so natural in her own skin. But in a dress? It was like she became a completely different species.

"I wouldn't worry too much. Besides, I think Mako's excited to see you in a dress again. Especially one like this." Korra could feel Asami's smirk. She tried very hard not to blush but she didn't think she was particularly successful. "There. All done." Asami pronounced with satisfaction. Korra reached up to touch her locks. She crossed to the lone mirror in the room and cocked her head at her reflection.

She didn't quite look like herself but then again she didn't NOT look like herself either. She looked softer with her hair half pulled back into braids. The dress did EVERYTHING for her figure, though really there wasn't much she couldn't pull off if anyone was being honest. Gingerly she touched the sequins on the dress, turning this way and that to examine herself. Asami was smiling knowingly over her shoulder.

"Do you think you're ready to go now?"

Korra looked back at Asami, a silent thanks passing between them. "Yeah. I think I am."


	8. companion

Companion

Before coming to Republic City, Naga was her only true companion. Of course, Korra had her parents and her masters and Katara, but Naga was the only being in the South Pole Korra had felt she could share her deepest darkest secrets to.

She didn't think it was sad. She felt safe with the polar bear dog. Naga would never judge her or mock her or leave her. Naga was constant and unfailing. She wasn't being ironic when she'd told Mako that Naga was her best friend. A polar bear dog was the best friend anyone could have—if you were brave enough to tame one. Apparently Korra was the only one with enough guts.

Republic City changed everything. Naga would always be her most faithful companion. But Korra found, suddenly, that she needed more than just loyalty. She needed advice. She needed help. And bless the spirits because it wasn't long before she found it. And in the most unexpected places too.

Tenzin was her rock. He didn't always have the answers but he was always steady and sympathetic. Bolin was always the laugh she needed most. Asami was the window to a different world, a world Korra desperately wanted to understand. And Mako? He was her safety blanket. Not that she would ever admit it.

Her friends. She'd never known or understood such companionship. It was intoxicating. She couldn't imagine her life without them now. Just as much as she couldn't imagine life without Naga so much of her life. They made her stronger. And exponentially more dangerous.


	9. move

move

Mako couldn't bring himself to move.

She had insisted they would have been fine riding with Naga in the cargo hold. In fact, she'd been rather adamant upon the idea. He completely understood her need to accompany her animal familiar along the ocean journey from Republic City back to the south pole. But the fact of the matter was that people were not meant to ride in the cargo bay. And Korra, according to all the genetic markers, was, in fact, a person.

So, with a little coaxing, Mako and Bolin had convinced Korra that riding in the overnight cabins would be acceptable. She'd pouted from the moment they loaded Naga into the cargo bay all the way through dinner in the dining hall and even into their cabin that evening. Bolin had, unsuccessfully, tried to cheer her up all evening. Even Mako had taken a crack at it, though really he hadn't had much hope in making any sort of effect.

So Bolin had settled in one of the top bunks in their cabin, happily snoring some of his seasickness away, while Mako tried to coax an audible response out of the spectacularly stoic Avatar. He'd never seen her stay so quiet for so long. It was a little unnerving. Briefly he imagined a child-like Korra; one her parents must have encountered many times in her youth. It was a delightfully adorable image.

"Come on, Korra. This has gone on for hours. It's not a big deal. Tomorrow morning when we dock you'll be reunited and all this fuss will seem really silly." Mako prodded, leaning across the cabin to peer into her bunk. She was curled up on her side facing away from him but he could tell she was awake. He could still see glimpses of her cerulean eyes as they narrowed in the darkness.

She didn't respond. Mako huffed and got off his bed, leaning over hers to get a good look at her face. "Bolin is the king of tantrums. Believe me. I have dealt with worse than this. So you might as well talk to me." Mako reasoned with a cheeky smirk. Her nose wrinkled infinitesimally. He raised a challenging brow.

At last she sat up, her mouth buried between her knees. "It's just so weird." She whined, her voice crackling a little with disuse.

"What?"

She feigns a shrug. "I don't know. Going home without her next to me. She kept me steady, running off to Republic City."

Gradually cognition trickled through Mako and at last he understood that Korra's fuss was less about Naga needing Korra and more about Korra needing Naga. This trip was the first time Korra would be going home to the south pole. No wonder she was on edge.

"Well, you're not exactly running off to the south pole, are you?"

"No."

"And even if you were, you've got me and Bo. We'll keep you steady. And even if Naga isn't here, I'm pretty sure she'd tear through steel to have your back." Mako's smile was an ember that wouldn't fade. It caught on Korra's lips, an infectious expression, and she visibly relaxed.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around." She reached up, ruled as ever by impulse, and tugged him down by the neck of his scarf. Their lips met—just half a whisper.

And then, in the quiet, Korra forgot Naga in the cargo hold. He kept her steady, physically and metaphorically, as they collapsed on her bunk, feverish and insistent to the tune of Bolin's snoring. His arms built a cage around her head. She arched up to meet him; their rhythm was syncopated between every breath, every kiss.

Never to be bested, Korra quickly took control, reversing their positions so that she was looking down at him. Somewhere in the mix her hair had come loose. She leaned down to kiss him again—and that was when they both registered than the snoring had stopped.

Despite that every muscle in Mako's body was screaming to escape this rather awkward position (because he knew Bolin would be mortified to see his brother making out while he'd been sleeping in the bunk over), he just couldn't bring himself to move. Korra hovered over him, a colorful panic rising in her cheeks.

There was another loud and glottal snore from above. They both slumped, laughter barely contained between pursed lips. Mako's head fell back, his eyes traveling to his brother's sleeping form across the way over his own he glanced at Korra whose cheeks were still a little pink. He leaned up on an elbow and brushed the hair out of her face before recklessly leading her down to him for yet another kiss.


	10. silver

**AN: **I'm not sure I'm gonna have time tomorrow to post a chapter so I'm posting this now. Then I'll post the next one late Friday night. I'm pretty proud of this one and the one for Friday. I also might skip a word and post my "denial" one on Saturday just to give you feels that you can't handle right before the finale airs. I'm gonna keep these going as long as possible. I'd love some prompts by the way! They don't need to be one word prompts. I'm just curious about what you guys would like to read (if, in fact, I have readers at all). SHOUTING IN THE DARK. XD Also, gonna post a bonus chapter today because I was bored and full of muse the other night. Enjoy.

silver

Korra got her the first piece of jewelry when she was thirteen. It was a little silver bracelet with a single charm—the same designed charm that Katara always wore around her neck. It was a betrothal necklace, the one Katara wore, and Korra had always felt rather drawn to it.

She couldn't fathom why. She was never one for jewelry. Her mother had a little, primarily for special occasions, but it was all made of bone and a few rare small gems Tonraq had gotten in the market. She'd once managed to crush a lump of rock and turn it into a very small diamond, but she hadn't been particularly impressed with it and promptly lost it in the snow.

For whatever reason, training with Katara, she always kept a steady eye on that necklace. Like it was a part of her.

One day she'd gained the audacity to ask about it mid-training session. Katara had been showing her a particularly difficult kata, going through the motions slowly and definitely, though Korra didn't have a lick of trouble performing the moves. They were parallel to each other, a tendril of water suspended between them, when Korra spoke.

"Where did you get your betrothal necklace? I thought only the northern water tribe did that."

Katara's old eyes flicked up to Korra's face. There was a flash of recognition there and Korra wondered how Katara understood things about her so easily from innocuous questions. Katara relaxed her stance, never releasing the tendril of liquid, and replied.

"When I was young, after my mother died, I always wore my grandmothers betrothal necklace. I didn't know what it was; neither, I think, did my mother, but I wore it to remember her. My grandmother had originally been from the northern water tribe—betrothed to a rather awful man at the time (he got better about fifty or sixty years down the line)—so she got away. I always wore it on my adventures with Aang because… Well, because it reminded me of home and of my mother." She paused, her eyes a little sad. It didn't touch her smile though and that was one of the reasons Korra couldn't help but respect Katara.

"I lost that necklace many years later. The circumstances were quite unfortunate and amusing but that, my dear Korra, is a story for another day. Aang felt so horrible that I'd lost my necklace that he'd made another one perfectly identical in every way it could be to the one I'd lost. And that was when he proposed to me. It wasn't really a northern water tribe betrothal but that didn't really matter. My heart had belonged to him from the day I met him, whether I knew it or not."

Korra stared at Katara open mouthed. She'd lost her hold on the tendril of water and it splashed against the floor and trickled away to the drain below them. Slowly she connected the dots Katara had seen in her when she'd asked her question. Aang made that necklace. It was a product of her past incarnation. It was, in a way, a part of her.

Several weeks later Korra celebrated her thirteenth birthday. Katara gave her the little bracelet and Korra couldn't properly express how grateful she was. Despite that she had never had a spiritual connection with Aang (who'd already had many spiritual connections with his past incarnations by her age) she still felt tethered to him. It was intangible, which frustrated her, but it was still there. Katara saw that and understood. So that little bracelet, representative of that very connection, meant so very much to a girl who, despite loving it, would probably never wear it.

Except, of course, on her own wedding day—to tether herself not only to Aang but to Katara as well as they watched her from the spirit world, united once again.


	11. If Mako lost his bending

**BONUS CHAPTER**

_If Mako lost his bending…_

Most of the time he wasn't any different than he'd been before.

He was still surly and perpetually unimpressed. He still bought Bolin the occasional dumpling on the way home from work. He still made passive aggressive comments to Korra whenever the opportunity presented itself.

But then there were moments… Moments when Korra and Bolin and Asami were laughing around the newly renovated living room when Korra would spot him out of the corner of her eye. He'd be preparing their dinner for the evening, chopping vegetables and whatnot, and then he'd snap his fingers.

The shock on his face was always fresh and raw. He'd stare at the unlit coals on the stove like he'd swallowed a large gulp of cactus juice. The movements of his face were quick and powerful; so much so that Korra had to wonder if she'd seen his face move at all. First there was shock, then frustration, and then, finally, an unbearable sadness like some phantom pain of a wound that was no longer there but still left him with a chasm.

Just as quick as it was there it was gone. He would fish a box of matches out of the cabinet and no one would be the wiser.

This didn't, of course, include the harried times. The times when Mako felt helpless to defend his brother and his friends. He was still incredibly strong—he would always be a good fighter. But it wasn't the same. All of them would be mid brawl and he'd just… Forget. And then he'd get tackled because just for a moment he let his own surprise get the better of him.

He couldn't protect Bolin the way he used to. Perhaps it was better that way, of course, but he couldn't get used to it. He was the protector. He made sure, now more than ever, that Bo knew Mako would do anything for him.

Bolin already knew that. Mako had proved it twenty times over.

Asami never let him feel miserable about himself. Not that he ever truly showed it except in those short little moments. She taught him a lot and somehow in the midst of everything, something between them healed.

It was Korra Mako ended up being most afraid of. That she'd think less of him. That she'd pity him. Mako hated pity. He would never stand for it.

But she didn't. She was inexplicably Korra. She didn't treat him any differently. She still battered him in training, gave him lame nicknames, and she always looked to him as a friend and ally.

He feared he would always have that nostalgia, that wound, but he didn't fear the future one bit.


	12. denial

**AN: **Not entirely sure if anybody reads these but I'm gonna keep posting them. XD Always shouting in the dark. Anyway, for those of you that do read these, here's a little sad feels for your pre-finale pleasure.

denial

No. He wasn't dead. Bolin wouldn't accept that.

Bolin was a crier. When he felt sad he showed it. He didn't cry often, not enough to earn a childish nickname, but he did tear up on occasion. He liked sad stories. He impressed many a lady with his sensitive side. Ad every once in a very great while when things got to be too much for him he let loose a good cry. It made him feel better. Like getting it all out there would purge him of the bad feelings.

He didn't cry now, though. If he cried that would make it real. And he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't live in a world without him. Therefore he would not accept this world, this terrible mocking world before him, as truth.

Everyone else was crying. Asami looked like she was going to be sick. She stood back, her face pale and ashen, leaning over her knees and breathing deeply as the sobs wracked up and down her frame. Tenzin stood past them, almost beyond Bolins vision, looking stony and fearful. And then there was Korra, her body slick with sweat and dirt, tears streaming unforgivingly down her face. Her hands were pressed frantically to the wound in his side, water glowing between them. She was screaming something but Bolin couldn't tell what it was.

Bolin on the other hand stood a few feet from them, his eyes unfocused and uncomprehending. His head tilted one way there another, as if he was trying to fully understand the situation. As if it didn't quite make sense.

"Why isn't he waking up?" His voice sounded child-like. And suddenly it was the day his parents died all over again. He was staring at Mako who was screaming and crying and literally burning and he found himself mouthing _'why haven't mommy and daddy come back'_. It was a living memory, fresh and raw. And then the tears came. But this time they were angry.

"Why isn't he getting up? Wake him up? Why are you just standing there? Wake him up? Wake UP!" Bolin demanded. He had never cried like this before. The tears came out hot and acidic. This wasn't the catharsis he usually sought. This was something else. Something he'd forgotten about. Something he thought he'd never have to face again.

Before he could blink he was moving, striding over to them in long and purposeful steps. His knees gave out under him at his side and suddenly his fists were in his jacket, fingers curled around his scarf—their fathers scarf. "Wake up!" Bolin demanded. His voice sounded choked, visceral, like he'd never heard it before. It was the voice Mako used with him when he was angry. It sounded strange from his own lips. It didn't belong there. It belonged to the man whose shirt he was now clinging to.

"Bolin." Korra's voice cracked, her hand was on his arm. He threw her off.

"Why isn't he waking up? This isn't funny. Mako! Wake up. Wake up!" He was screaming now, pulling his brother into his lap.

Korra was getting up. Her fists were clenched and he could see fresh blood trickling from the inside of her hands like she'd cut her palms. She was shaking but not with exhaustion. She was angry. But her face was broken. She didn't look anything like the girl he'd met in the gym so long ago. She turned away from him; he didn't miss the way her proud shoulders dropped and the tremor that fell down her spine.

Bolin grappled for her hand: a plea. "Korra, why won't he wake up?" She looked back down at him, her blue eyes red and dripping. Her lip quivered. It was so slight, he wasn't sure he saw it. But then she turned her head. He couldn't tell if it was in shame or grief. Perhaps both. Maybe more than that.

Asami's hand appeared on his shoulder, her other covering her mouth. "Bolin, he's gone."


	13. prepared

prepared

Korra spent her entire life in training.

The white lotus would not lose their Avatar like Aang had been lost. They seemed to ignore the irony that if he hadn't run away he might've never lived past twelve years old. The point was, regardless, that the world would never again go a century without the Avatar, without balance.

So, upon being found, she was meant to be in training until she completed the mastery of all four elements. It really shouldn't have taken her as long as it did to master the first three. But the white lotus was traditional and they made her cycle through them at a lengthy and comfortable pace, despite the fact that she learned so quickly she might as well have been born a master.

Their biggest concern had been air, which she'd never been able to accomplish. They'd spent an entire year testing the limits of her abilities when she'd been found, but she had no inclination towards the previous avatar's namesake. They'd tested her many times throughout the years in air bending and spirituality but she'd never gained any ground.

Until running away to Republic City. Training with Tenzin was different. It touched her, made her question her thoughts and her methods; as did the city itself and the people she met there. Despite everything, Korra felt more ready now than ever for anything that came her way. She was flexible and unafraid. She was the Avatar. She had people that would have her back. She knew, with them, she could take on the world.

But nothing and no one (not her parents, Katara, the white lotus, Tenzin, Mako and Bolin, Asami, Pema, Lin) had prepared her for this.

The only person who could was Aang and she hadn't had the chance to meet him in the spirit world before this. It was only memories and flashes. So she was blind and terrified.

Her body was taut and floating, humming with fire and electricity. She was filled with light; the glow spilled from her wide eyes uninhibited, blinding everyone around her. The earth, an extension of herself, buckled and rose around her. Water seeped through the cracks in the skins of the world, bending to her will. Her hands lit with flame, her very breath sparking as she inhaled and exhaled undiluted power. And the air, filled with rushing, whipped her hair free from its ties.

"You have disturbed the balance of this world and must therefore pay the consequences." The voices of thousands of Avatars before her echoed through her lips. The sound was foreign and terrifying and her body rejected it even as it left her throat.

The deed was done quickly and swiftly. When it was, her body gave out on her. Suddenly she found herself on her knees slumped over the uneven earth, sweat, water, and sand sticking to her flesh. She couldn't distinguish numbness from pain, couldn't even feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. She only felt the weight of what she'd done and everything it represented for Republic City and the rest of the world.


	14. knowledge

knowledge

Jinora liked books. It was a fairly simple observation for anyone who met her. She craved stories and, while her life got to be fairly exciting every once in a great while, she never truly gave up living vicariously through fictional characters.

Unlike Ikki's constant questions, Jinora gained information through subtlety. She observed and deduced. She didn't need things to be spelled out for her. There was power in silence. This was something neither of her siblings understood. It seemed it was a knowledge Jinora had gained from their father. She did wonder, however, if Ikki and Meelo might discover the same in time.

She wasn't naive enough to think that her books and observation would be enough though. Jinora was smart. She understood that if she wanted her life to be as amazing as the people she read about she had to do something about it. Because that's what the characters in her books did. Hell, that's what the other people in her life did.

Her mother confessed her love for her father, regardless that he was with another woman at the time. It may not have tied things up in a pretty bow, like in her books, but Pema and Tenzin seemed happy. And, after all, if that had never happened Jinora wouldn't exist.

Korra ran away from the South Pole to learn airbending. While she didn't succeed quite like she wanted to, she went out and did it.

Korra was exactly the type of person Jinora hoped to be but knew she could never quite accomplish. Korra DID so much. She didn't think about it. Didn't worry about it. Didn't stress.

Well, she did, but not to the extent the air bending family often did. The point was that she never let that worry or stress hold her back. And now, in these dark times, Jinora wanted nothing more than to uphold that kind of fearlessness. Like Korra. Like the characters in her books. Helping Lin Beifong was only the beginning. If her grandfather could fight in a war at twelve years old then she would be damned if she couldn't fight at ten.

If only Tenzin knew he'd created a little warrior girl.


	15. wind

wind

She recalled lazy days in one of the parks in Republic city, lying under trees with his freshly shaved head in his lap. He was always self-conscious about it. He said he was afraid his head was shaped weird. She'd assure him it was and then kiss it to emphasize her point. It may have been flawed logic, but he never argued with her. Not that he could. She would always win anyway.

Well, no, that wasn't entirely true. In the final years he won many an argument. Not that their arguments were ones you won or lost—they were just arguments, vicious and stubborn and unrelenting. Each one was more painful than the last but Lin never gave up. Nor would she ever.

Or so she thought.

There was one argument she couldn't win, no matter how hard she tried. It was the last argument. Not the LITERAL last argument, but it was the last they would have as _them_. They stood under their favorite tree in the park. She remembered screaming about some girl Pema. She was almost two decades younger than the pair of them. Lin accused him of cradle robbing. He turned that spectacular shade of purple she'd always been secretly partial to.

"Making ridiculous nicknames and accusations won't change anything Lin! You can't deny it. We've been drifting apart for months. Do you even remember an evening in the last year where we haven't ended up arguing?" He snarled, but something in his eyes looked sad.

Her lips opened to retort, prepared with a prime example… But then she couldn't think of one. And she recognized something in his eyes—an ending. She wasn't going to win this argument. There was no way either of them was really going to win this argument. So she closed her mouth.

He left soon after. Lin stood alone under that tree, praying for a friendly breeze. None came. He'd taken that endless wind with him. And now, she feared, it belonged to someone else.


	16. order

order

Korra wasn't particularly good at following orders. In fact, she made it a point to disobey orders as much as humanly possible.

This behavior started at a very early age. Basically since birth.

"Get some sleep, Korra. You can sled on the penguins tomorrow. They're not going anywhere." Senna cooed as she tucked the three year old soon-to-be Avatar into her bed. Korra squirmed and pouted, her blue eyes narrowed in the dark. She let out a dissatisfied huff and Senna could have sworn she saw a spark leave her daughter's lips. She brushed the thought away, dismissing it as impossible.

Sure, they hadn't discovered the new Avatar yet but it couldn't possibly be Korra. Right?

Senna left her daughter to (presumably) slumber and joined Tonraq in the living room.

Little did she know Korra was already bending a hole in the room of their house and escaping into the snowy night.

Tonraq looked up from a pile of fish he was scaling. "I put her to bed but Spirits know if she'll actually get to sleep." Senna pronounced, tidying up the room. Korra had a knack for leaving things in shambles.

"I'll go in and check on her in a few minutes. Make sure she hasn't destroyed her room." Tonraq smiled knowingly and continued his work.

Senna finished her tidying and sat nervously across from her husband who was all but consumed with the fish. "I'm worried, Tonraq." Senna said, fiddling with locks of her hair.

He looked up, mildly surprised. "Why do you say that?"

"It's Korra. She's been… Well, I've been noticing things. You haven't noticed anything have you?" He paused and set down the fish he was currently working on. He looked caught like he'd stolen something he shouldn't have.

"She's definitely a bender." He said slowly. Senna nodded for him to say more. She wasn't crazy. That much she was happy about.

"I've seen her bend water. But I've also seen her bend other things." Tonraq approached the subject delicately. Their fear and excitement was tangible now. They were confirming their suspicions with each other.

"You don't think…" Senna trailed off. She wasn't sure she could say it.

"I do. I've already contacted the White Lotus. They said they wouldn't be able to make it down to the South Pole for some time. They're still exploring other rumors in the Northern Water Tribe." Senna nodded, her brow pulling together. She didn't have a shadow of a doubt in her mind that Korra was the new Avatar. She'd seen enough of the signs.

"I should go check on her." Tonraq stood, crossing to the child's room and peeking in. Senna heard him curse and disappear. "That girl!" Senna ran in after him, immediately observing that he was hanging from a hole in the ceiling, peering out into the night.

Senna pressed a hand to her face. "Again?"


	17. thanks

**AN: **This was written before the finale. Basically right after episode ten when Lin loses her bending. Because I like to angst.

thanks

Jinora didn't see Lin Beifong again for a very long time after they all escaped Air Temple Island. Pema and the air bender children were evacuated to a secure location in the South Pole with Katara. Tenzin told them he would send for them as soon as the city was safe again.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. They got the occasional letter from her father, but Jinora did not see her home again for quite some time. Things stabilized when General Iroh arrived in Republic City but Amon was still at large. Her father didn't feel safe bringing his children back until Amon was caught.

When he was, several months after his attempt to take over the city, Jinora and the rest of the family were allowed to return to Air Temple Island. She and her brothers and sister were warmly greeted by Tenzin and Korra and the brothers and Asami too.

But Lin Beifong wasn't there.

Jinora inquired of the previous police chief but was met with somber faces and tightened fists. Her father in particular looked rather purple in the face. Pema looked uncertain, like she knew the truth but didn't know how to speak the words.

Korra took her to Lin's memorial. "She wouldn't stop fighting. Even after…" She trailed off, a painful sort of respect leaking through her voice. Jinora couldn't respond; she only tried to control that strange tightening in her throat.

"Do you mind if I have a minute alone?" Korra looked at Jinora like she didn't understand. It's not like Jinora and Lin had ever been close. But she didn't argue.

"Sure. Naga and I will wait for you over there." She pointed where Naga sat lying on the stone.

When she was gone, Jinora knelt before the stone memorial, almost meditating before it. She seemed to form her words carefully, rolling them around her tongue and tasting them uncertainly.

"Um… Hi. My name is Jinora. You probably knew that. Um… We didn't really know each other. My mom stole my dad from you. I wish I could say I was sorry about that but then I wouldn't exist if it hadn't happened. Anyway, I was hoping… I was going to, when we got back to the city… Well, I wanted to say thank you. I know what you did for my family. I wish… I wish you were here so that I could tell you properly," she paused, the words choking in her throat and tears beginning to stream down her face, "could tell you personally that I respect everything you did and I hope to be as brave and selfless as you. I never got to know you but I wish that I could have."

She stood, wiping tears off her cheeks. She'd never known someone who died before. She hoped it wouldn't always be this hard. She feared it would only get harder. "Thank you so much, Lin Beifong."

With that she walked off, retreating towards Korra and Naga in the distance.


	18. look

look

She had a certain look about her afterward; an air that wouldn't be extinguished. Things weren't perfect nor would they be for many years but she seemed ready. Less like she might break at the smallest mishap.

After she'd lost her bending it seemed like she was fragile, like she couldn't handle anything anymore. To everyone she was so strong, so impenetrable regardless of being the Avatar or not. She would always be the Avatar, with or without all four elements. None of them chose to see her any differently. It was she who saw herself differently.

But she needed that vulnerability. It was something she had lacked for some time. And through that vulnerability she was able to connect at last. It was tenuous and uncertain. She couldn't call upon Aang and the other former Avatars as easily as he had but she was still able to make the connection.

From that moment on she seemed prepared, like she'd finally realized that no matter what happened to her, good or bad, she would always make out alright. Because she had Aang and Tenzin and Katara and Lin and Mako and Bolin and Asami and everyone that meant the world to her.

Aang didn't have to say a lot for her to understand his meanings. It was the greatest comfort to know that even if she couldn't talk to him he was always there.

She restored balance with confidence and certainty. But it wasn't her rambunctious confidence anymore. It was quiet and subdued and dignified—it was something she'd sought but couldn't necessarily achieve in the past. Not without being broken first. Just like the city had been broken, so Korra rebuilt herself and the rest of the world.


	19. summer

**AN: **I think we need something cute. Don't you?

summer

Summer in Republic City is hot. Ninety percent of the time the citizens are in search of a few vacation days. The other the percent of the time is spent dousing themselves in the bay. This is no exception for the Avatar and her friends.

"How's the sandcastle coming, Bo?" Mako called over to his younger brother. The earth bender was pouring diligently over a mound of sand the size of a mechatank. He didn't seem to be bending, only circling it with the air of a practiced artist. In his own words he was 'searching for the sculpture within.'

"I THINK I HAVE FOUND MY MASTERPIECE!" Bolin announced, settling into a horse stance and raising his hands. They fisted and dropped, the mound of silt exploding in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared there was a ten foot tall statue of Pabu standing on one of his front paws.

"Very impressive." Asami commented with a wry smile. She was settled under an umbrella, a magazine lying in her lap. Upon further inspection by Mako it was a car magazine.

"Why thank you. I feel I could've been a great artiste in another life. But alas, pro-bending became my calling in this one."

Clearly he said this with complete ignorance of what was going on behind him because he didn't notice the smallest speaking air bender child barrel through his sculpture. Bolin let out a strangled cry as the two eldest air babies followed, casting balls of air at their cackling brother. They disappeared as quickly as they came.

Korra, however, arrived moments later looking bedraggled with literal smoke spewing from her ears. "Which way did they go?" She huffed. Her fists were clenched and her wrap had all but completely fallen off her shoulders. Asami let out a sympathetic laugh, standing from her comfortable spot on the beach.

"I'll go find them. Why don't you take a break? You look like you've had enough for a little while." Asami reigned in a giggle and took off at a jog in the direction the air children had gone. Korra's shoulders slumped and she collapsed on a towel next to Mako.

"Why did I agree to bring the kids to the beach with us?" She grumbled, arm thrown over her eyes to shield from the sun.

"Because Ikki overheard us talking about it and demanded we bring them along." Bolin noted matter-of-factly as he sat on her other side.

"And because you love them even if they do get on your nerves." Mako pointed out quietly; he tried desperately to hide his smile but he didn't think he was particularly successful.

"No." Korra declared, sitting up and pouting. "Those children are the spawn of Koh."

"If you actually felt that way we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Korra glared at him. "Actually, you know who's getting on my nerves? You." They often had a hard time agreeing about who was and wasn't right. More often than not both of them were wrong.

"That's not really helping your case. Because you love me too." His grin was cheeky. It didn't last long though; a split second later he found himself faceplanted a few feet from his towel. He was covered in sand. He groaned, picking himself off the sand that seared his skin upon contact.

He heard the pad of her feet as she approached him. He looked up to find her silhouette framed over him. She had a satisfied smile on her lips. "Well, yeah, I guess you're right about that." Her brow rose in challenge before she leaned down and pecked his lips.

The pair of them broke apart when they heard Meelo's familiar battle cry in the distance.


	20. transformation

**AN: **I don't think I can safely angst anymore. I'm too happy with the way the finale turned out. So... Most of the coming ones are cute and happy. Also, I've been posting these earlier on my tumblr and it's safe to say I'm almost out of days and prompts to fill. However, I've LOVED doing these drabbles (not TECHNICALLY drabbles but Sara don't give a fuck) and I'd love to continue doing them. So if you guys want to see me write anything, prompts and such, I will do my best to provide. I'd love to keep this going though. Fill the void in the absence of new Korra and what not. Don't be a stranger!

Also, special thanks to everyone who has added this story to your favorites and alerts and especially to my occasional reviewers. I'm terrible about responding but I want you guys to know I really appreciate it. They always give me the warm fuzzies.

transformation

Growing up is a lengthy and often painful process. It comes with aches and sweat and occasionally blood and tears. Bolin had yet to realize this.

Mako had a tendency to soften the blow for Bolin. At first Bo liked it. It showed Mako cared and wanted for his brother never to feel the pains he did growing up. But after a while it got tedious. Because Mako always saw him as his kid brother. And he wanted to be his equal.

He tried many times to assert his maturity but it always rang false. His own naivety betrayed him time and time again and no matter how much he tried to grow up he couldn't.

Until he didn't have Mako around to keep him in check. Mako would disappear for weeks at a time with Korra on missions or diplomatic visits, leaving Bolin or fend for himself. At first it was fun. He got to do all the things he couldn't get away with when Mako was around.

But then the messes started to pile up. And the food ran out in the kitchen. And he'd lose track of where he'd put things. Laundry would go undone. He'd get harassed by rival pro-benders while out to eat.

And he was lonely. Unbearably lonely.

So, he realized he had to start taking things upon himself. He started to cook and clean and (channeling his inner Korra) sticking up for himself where he'd always learned to keep his head down. And he called upon Asami for a little guidance because he trusted her to tell him the truth about his personal transformation. He liked having an outsiders opinion. And he began to learn that being by himself allowed him to really examine who he was.

It was almost like Mako didn't recognize his little brother when he returned to find a four course meal waiting for him after a long mission. He was pleasantly surprised.

And unexpectedly proud.


	21. tremble

tremble

It was something in the way he held himself. With dignity. And confidence. Like he'd never had a worry in his life. Asami wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't.

Son of the Fire Lord. He was first in line to inherit the position from his mother. He was_ important_.

There was a time Asami had fancied herself important. She was, after all, the daughter of the genius and thriving businessman, Hiroshi Sato. She got everything and anything she wanted. Who would deny her, really? She didn't let it go to her head, necessarily, it just seemed to shape the way she saw the world. Like she had everything at her fingertips.

It wasn't until after the disasters with Amon and her father that she began to realize otherwise. She was… Limited. She no longer had her money or her family name to fall back on. And while she was an incredibly strong and kind person she'd had to prove that every day for the rest of her life now to anyone willing to listen.

Iroh had nothing to prove. His position seemed impenetrable. He was security. He was everything she'd lost. He had command (something Asami had never really gotten the hang of). He was disciplined (something Asami hadn't lacked until very recently). He was steady (something Asami wasn't sure she'd ever really been).

Apparently, she had a type.

However, she could dismiss all of this for the most part. People in the midst of battle are very different from people in every day life. This she knew only too well now having witnessed the changes in her friends firsthand.

So she didn't experience that unfamiliar and unbearable tremble in her gut until they all returned to Republic City.

Occupied by the remains of Iroh's fleet, he greeted them at the docks. He greeted Korra first, naturally, with a smile and a bow. A jovial handshake to Bolin. A respectful nod to Tenzin.

When he reached Asami he'd already bowed and kissed Pema's hand as well as that of Jinora and Ikki. He'd even deigned to shaking the hand of a floating Meelo who continued to give him the evil eye as he paused before Asami.

"Miss Sato. A pleasure to see you again." His smile was uncommon. He didn't look anything like the man she'd met a few weeks ago. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles, bowing slightly. He paused just a second too long and Asami nearly tore her hand out of his grasp. Then she caught herself, a quick and challenging smile forming on her lips.

"And you, General Iroh." She winked.

She didn't miss the flicker of surprise that passed over his face before Meelo blasted him off the pier.


	22. sunset

sunset

Mako had seen his fair share of sunsets. Summer sunsets bright as flame, reflecting across the tumultuous waters of the Republic City bay. Winter sunsets warm against a layer of fallen snow.

But none of them were quite like this one.

They were only meant to be at the South Pole a few days more. Then they'd return to Republic City where Korra would begin work returning bending to those who proved themselves worthy; the main points of objection were select leaders of the various triads around the city. The rest of the triads would serve out their respective sentences and only then would they be given their bending back. The rest of the benders of Republic City would receive their bending as soon as humanly possible.

"Does it always look like this?" Mako commented, his legs dangling precariously over the edge of the glacier they sat on. Korra glanced over at him and chuckled.

"Yeah, pretty much. But hey, maybe it'll put a little color on that pale city skin of yours." Mako huffed and squinted through the light. The snow and water reflected everything. This didn't even come close to their winter sunsets. Everything was ablaze with light. Mako wondered if it wasn't a miracle he could see anything at all.

But it was beautiful. He doubted he'd ever get used to it.

"It's too bad it's so cold. I'm sure Bolin would love to tan in a sun like this." His lips quirked. He sensed her own smile next to him. He leaned back on his hands, their fingers brushing.

"I guess he could try. I don't think he'd last long." She giggled. He didn't miss how she unconsciously twined their fingers over the snow.

"Yeah. I'm not too keen on thawing my brother." They laughed and then they were silent. It was peaceful out there, beyond the fortress of the White Lotus. Out there it seemed like nothing in the world mattered more than this sunset.

Much like every sunset, however, it ended too quickly. Dusk fell and the darkness was almost as consuming as the light. "Will you miss it here?" Mako asked, turning to look at her at last.

She paused to consider his question, her blue eyes barely visible in the dark. "Sure, sometimes. But not because of the sunset. I'm sure I'll have many more of those." She looked up at him with a smile. He smiled back, his eyes finding hers despite the darkness.

He reached up with his free hand, bringing her face forward to place a long kiss to her forehead. "We should get inside. Before the polarbear-dogs come hunting." He chuckled and stood up, pulling her along by their intertwined hands.

She barked a laugh as she looped her arm through his, much like she had months ago at the revelation.

She scoffed. "I hardly think that's an issue. I did tame one, after all."


	23. mad

mad

As the eldest of four children, Jinora was at liberty to feel sufficiently upset about the goings on of her household.

In fact, she was at liberty to be completely and utterly furious at her siblings.

Especially on a day such as this one.

"IKKI!" Jinora doesn't yell a lot. But she's fifteen. She's about to go on her first actual date and her sister has stolen her favorite hair comb—a gift from her grandmother.

Jinora bursts into her sister's bedroom, hair ablaze and eyes tangled. No… wait. Strike that, reverse it. "Where is it?" She demands, her locks unconsciously fluttering with energy. Ikki sits on the bed, apparently meditating in a rather awkward sitting position with her legs up by her head. She opens an eye and shrugs.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Jinora fumes. "Yes, you do. The comb Grandma Katara gave me. Where is it?"

Ikki sighs, her legs coming down to sit cross legged. "I don't know. Ask Meelo. I haven't touched your stupid comb. Not like it'll help you on your date. I don't even know what you see in Skoochy anyway. He's got a weird name and what's with that hat—"

Jinora slams the door on her babbling sister, taking off toward the boys dormitory. She spots Meelo halfway across the courtyard, spinning around Mako on a hover scooter.

"—And what are your intentions with the esteemed Avatar this evening, young man. I don't want to hear about any funny business." Meelo pronounces to a confused looking Mako. He's even bigger than he used to be (if that's at all possible). Jinora and the rest of the air bender family are all waiting for him to pop the question to Korra but if either of them have discussed the possibility of marriage they're not letting on.

"Oh, hey Jinora." Mako greets her with a sigh of relief. He chooses to ignore the look of absolute fury on her face.

"Hey Mako. Taking Korra out again tonight?" She may have been angry but she was still polite.

Mako blushes, his hands pawing at his pockets nervously. "Just taking her to a probending match. Nothing crazy. She's been working so hard, I thought it'd be a good way for her to unwind. What about you? I heard you've got a date with Skoochy." His smile is sly. Now Jinora must keep from blushing.

"Uh yeah. Speaking of which, Meelo, you haven't seen my hair comb have you?"

Her brother shrugs and scratches the back of his head. "Nope. Maybe Rohan stole it?" He makes an aside to Mako. "He's going through a phase."

"Well, good luck on your date. Be careful. I've heard Skoochy has become quite the ladies man." Mako remarks with a chuckle, taking off toward the girls dorms.

Jinora waves him goodbye and takes off to find her youngest brother.

She finds him with Pema having an afternoon snack. Pema is tickling him brightly and, as usual, Jinora finds her anger softening at the very sight of him. Despite that Rohan was going through a streak of theft he still had an angel face that no one could say no to. "Mom, Rohan, have you seen my hair comb?"

Rohan rolls up from his back, guilt plain in his big brown eyes. "I'm afraid not, sweetie. Getting ready for your date?" Pema remains oblivious to Rohans apparent guilt.

"Yes, I am. Rohan, you wouldn't happen to know where my hair comb is, would you?" Rohan is shame faced. He reaches into his robes and pulls out the little hair comb and holds it out to her. Pema is aghast.

"Rohan. You know better than to go stealing your sisters things." Rohan's lip quivers.

"I'm sorry, Jinora." He says quietly. Jinora's anger melts. He is the one sibling she can't stay mad at. She smiles against her better judgment and pats his newly shaven head.

"It's okay. Just ask me next time if you want to see something, okay?" A beautiful smile breaks out across his little face.

"Definitely!"


	24. outside

outside

Asami often felt that she was looking in from the outside. Like she didn't quite belong.

"Come on! You can do better than that!" Mako laughed, his fists held in front of his face. Korra stood across from him, sweat decorating her brow. They, along with Bolin, were dressed in training gear. Another season. Another pro-bending match. It was all very circular.

Asami sat with Bolin in the bleachers, watching the two benders spar. Bolin had already been squaring off with the Avatar and had taken his seat next to Asami for a short breather.

"So, Asami. In your professional opinion, how do you think we're looking for the new bending season?" Bo leaned back on his elbows, looking over at Asami with his trademark suave smile. It wasn't so suave as it was adorable, but no one really had the heart to tell him otherwise.

Asami shrugged. She didn't feel like feigning a good mood, though she couldn't deny she loved a good probending match. But she would never be a part of one. "I'm not sure my opinion qualifies as professional."

Bolin startled, shaking his head and sitting up straight. "What are you talking about? You've been watching probending, what, you're entire life? Don't think you can hide that trading card collection—" Asami paled, her hands going up to cover up her face. "You, Asami Sato, are a closeted sports geek. I think it's safe to say you know the ins and outs of the sport. So, I'm gonna ask you again. How do you think we will fair in this years championship?"

Asami tried to stifle a giggle. Really, she did. But Bolin was just an infectious person. It was hard to angst around him. He prevented it from being humanly possible.

It was things like that they made it impossible for Asami to hate benders the way her father had. Bending was just like any other talent. She may not have been a bender, but Asami did have a few special talents of her own.

"Pretty well if I decide to buy the referees." She giggled at Bolin's expression. Mako, having heard the tail end of the conversation, paused mid-stance.

"What was that?" He asked, shock and awe coloring his speech. He, unfortunately, didn't notice the Avatar's final swoop and was abruptly barreled to the floor by a stream of water.

"Ha, chump." Korra announced, removing her helmet with a smile.


	25. winter

**AN: **To my U.S. readers, Happy Freedom! To everyone else? Happy um... Day?

winter

Winter was always harsh in the South Pole. It was perpetually dark, perpetually snowing, and perpetually boring. Staying inside was 99% mandatory for children, especially children who were the Avatar. The members of the White Lotus weren't too keen on having to carve her out of another iceberg.

The Avatar, however, had other ideas.

Not that she wanted to get frozen in an iceberg. She just found the perpetual torrent outside the walls of the compound to be rather… Exciting.

The seven year old Avatar-in-training ventured out into the hostile landscape one evening, bundled up and very aware that she'd get yelled at when she returned. But it was never enough to stop her. Her parents had already learned not to question things anymore. Besides, their daughter was VERY capable. There was nothing and no one in the South Pole who could really do her harm—except, perhaps, her masters who were all safely tucked inside their rooms. And of course they'd taken an oath to protect her so any harm would really be rather counter intuitive.

Korra couldn't see very well through the blizzard but she did manage to keep it from wetting her clothes. Heat burned through her skin from the outside in. She felt very comfortable and at ease, even with the wind blowing relentlessly at her back.

She wandered aimlessly through the snow for about an hour looking for something to occupy her interest. While the storm itself was rather exciting, the rest? Not so much. She was just beginning to resolve returning back to the compound when she heard an unfamiliar whimpering coming from a small snow drift.

She went over to the sound to investigate, bending away globs of snow.

Huddled shivering in the bank was a small white animal. It's tail wagged uncertainly, it's little head bobbed where it lay, and it let out a pitiful growl of warning. Korra's eyes lit up at the sight of the baby animal. "You're a polar bear puppy!" She cried excitedly, leaning down to reach out a hand to her. "Where is your mama?"

The puppy sniffed her finger curiously, growling a little before licking it. The animal shivered in the cold and buried it's nose in the snow. "Were you abandoned? Did someone hurt your mama?" Korra cooed in the dark, reaching hesitantly to pet the polar bear dog. The puppy didn't object, merely whimpered and covered it's face with it's front paws.

"Come on, girl. Do you want to get out of this cold? Why don't you come with me and we'll see about finding your mama tomorrow, okay?" Korra coaxed, picking up the puppy and pulling her into her arms. The dog didn't object though she did nip playfully at the ties in Korra's hair.

Korra laughed. "Okay, okay. Warmth first, then we'll play after. Deal?" The puppy seemed satisfied with this response and burrowed deeply into Korra's coat.

The two of them set off into the snow, never to be truly parted again.


	26. diamond

diamond

Asami knew her precious jewels. She had a rather expansive collection of jewelry that would probably pay for an entire neighborhoods power for several months. She couldn't deny. She had a weakness.

It had started with her mother really. Her mother was a beautiful woman. So beautiful, in fact, that Asami had often been envious of her beauty. Her mother could wear the most beautiful jewels and make them look like mere trinkets. She would often let Asami wear her jewelry but Asami always felt overpowered by the jewels. Like she didn't shine quite like her mother did.

After her mother died, Asami inherited her mother's collection. She wore each of them interchangeably and she became quite fond of them not only because they were beautiful but because they reminded her of her mother. Hiroshi bought her many jewels birthday to birthday, but none were quite as spectacular as her mothers.

Except Korra's jewels.

Korra had a knack, being a quite superb earth bender, for crushing stones so much they rapidly formed quite spectacular jewel specimens. It was her earth bending abilities coupled with fire bending that enabled her to do this, though Korra had never thought much of it. Until she had someone to make jewels for.

It started with innocuous gifts. Tiny emeralds to match Asami's eyes. But Asami wore them so often that Korra got it into her head that these jewels would be an excellent scapegoat for when she did things wrong.

Like crashing Asami's favorite car.

That day she'd presented a diamond to the heiress so big that it might've blinded the whole city if it was let to sit in sunlight.

Of course, Asami was so impressed with the gesture that she didn't find out about the car until much later that night. If she'd been a fire bender she might've turned the whole world to cinder.


	27. thousand

**AN: **As of today I am officially out of one word prompts. I'll post four more drabbles and then that's all I've got.

The good news is that I will be taking prompts if you'd like to give them. They can be one word or they can be very specific. I don't mind either way. I'm even open to two or three shot stories.

The bad news is that I will no longer be posting a drabble a day. As liberating as writing every day for a month has been... Well, I don't think I could keep it up indefinitely. That doesn't mean I won't post responses to prompts quickly it just means I won't have something new for you to read every day. Hopefully once or twice a week.

So that's my two cents. I hope you all have enjoyed these as much as I have enjoyed writing them. It's been a pleasure. :D

thousand

Mako, Bolin, and Korra had never seen so much money in their lives.

"Five hundred thousand yuans. Your winnings." Butaka held out a check the size of a polar bear dog. It was more than their life savings, all held together in one big piece of paper. Mako seemed hesitant to take it. Bolin seemed to have fainted. Korra, however, didn't hesitate. Her entire body was still full of the thrill of winning.

"Thank you so much!" She cried out, snatching up the check and throwing her arms around Butaka. She lifted him off the ground, her grin nearly snapping her face in half. Butaka looked rather uncomfortable but he graciously freed his hand from her stranglehold and patted the top of her head.

"You and your team earned it, Avatar. I've never seen anybody take down the Wolfbats like that before." He chuckled uncertainly. Korra finally put him down, the check crumpled but whole in her fist.

Butaka retreated from the shell-shocked Fire Ferrets. "Give me that!" Mako snapped, extracting the check from her hands. He'd finally managed to get out of that daze he'd been in for the last five minutes. Korra huffed indignantly, planting her hands on her hips in a way characteristic only to Korra.

Mako examined the check, as if trying to verify that it was real. "I can't believe we did it." Disbelief and something akin to awe leaked from his voice. At last Bo sat up, Pabu sitting on his head.

"WEEEEE DIIIIDDDD ITTT!" The earth bender was abruptly in the air, punching the sky and gathering his teammates together for a bone crushing hug. Korra laughed and Mako couldn't help the smile that bled onto his lips. "Avatar Korra. You've just won the Pro-Bending Championship. What are you gonna do now?" Bolin asked, an imaginary microphone to his lips.

"I'm gonna save the world!" She whooped and let out a bright laugh. Bolin cheered along with her, abruptly lifting her piggyback. The pair of them circled the ring laughing and cheering all the way.

"While you guys do that, I'm going to the bank." Mako called to them, waving the check like a silent greeting. The younger pair stopped and Korra dismounted running back towards the fire bender.

"You are such a wet blanket. Put the check away. Let's go have some fun!" She pecked his lips. Sufficiently distracted, she snatched the check from his hands and took off running towards Bolin.

"Run Bo!" She called. The earth bender, catching on quickly, took off toward the changing rooms with a loud chuckle.

"Hey!" Mako shouted, perturbed. But his lips quirked, a laugh built in his throat, and he took off after them. "You're gonna pay for that!"


	28. letters

letters

Korra sat in front of the toddler, little blocks held aloft. Her expression was hopeful as she watched the letters form and falter on the child's lips. "Come on Katia. Wa-Ter. W-A-T-E-R. Water." She set down two of the blocks she held and touched the neckline of her shirt. "Water."

The little girls lips pursed, preparing to echo her mother.

She let out a little huff, coughing up flames. Katia giggled and sneezed. She clapped delightedly at the flames. When they dissipated her lip quivered. Korra sensed tears.

The Avatar sprung into action, abandoning the lettered blocks and scooping the child into her arms. "Come here, my little fire bender." She cooed, brushing Katia's black hair from her face and shushing her gently. "I don't know whether or not I should be proud that you're already fire bending or if I should be concerned that your speaking skills are limited to a chittering fire ferret." Korra smiled, pressing a kiss to her daughter's temple.

Katia tugged on the strands of hair on either side of Korra's face. "Mama."

"Yes, we covered that one. Your father and I are very proud." Korra snapped her fingers, a flame dancing in front of her daughter's eyes. It was the easiest way to cheer up the child and keep her occupied for any span of time. "Fire, Katia. F-I-R-E." Korra sighed. She didn't expect much of a response from the squirming child but she couldn't say she hadn't tried.

"Fire." Katia cried, reaching out instinctively for the flame.

Korra's eyes lit up and the flame disappeared. Katia didn't have much time to dwell on it's absence before she was being thrown in the air, giggling all the way. "That's my girl!"


	29. promise

promise

Avatar Korra made a lot of promises.

Some of them were promises she couldn't keep.

"You SWORE. You SWORE nothing would happen to him. You said he'd be just fine. You said you wouldn't let anything happen to him." The anger was a trembling and terrifying power in his voice. It shook her to the bone. She'd never heard Mako speak like this. This was a whole different side to him. She wasn't sure she was ready for it.

He stood across from her. The air seemed to shimmer around him, like car exhaust over stone during a hot summer day. He pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly trying to reign in some of that raw energy. He seemed to be boiling from the inside out.

Korra pawed nervously at the swinging door at her back. She considered going back in, making an excuse to Katara that she wanted to help heal Bolin, but she doubted he'd let her get away with it. No, Mako wouldn't let her walk away from this. She'd broken her promise to him. And she hated herself for it. But it took every shred of her being to keep herself in place.

The shame was all-consuming.

"I know what I said." Her voice quivered but it was clear. She wouldn't back down from this fight. She never did back down, no matter how many times she had truly wanted to. It wasn't the sort of person she was.

Her hand slipped from the swinging door, shedding what little safety blanket she had left. Her feet shifted, her fists clenched, and the muscles in her jaw worked until they ached. "I know what I said and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. You know—" She broke off, taking a hesitant step toward him. He looked up, a savage light in his eyes. They watched each other, suspended. "You know I never would have let him come with me if I thought something like this was going to happen. He made a choice. I did my best." She paused, her hand pointing at his chest. She didn't remember moving but somehow she was now less than a foot from him.

He didn't seem to notice the difference.

"I did what I had to do. There were hundreds of people in danger. I couldn't… There was nothing I could do. If you put me there again I would make the same call. And you know Bo would say the same thing." She started to turn away but seemed to think better of it. "And don't you dare try and lecture me about promises. You can't make me feel any worse about this than I already do. I never wanted him to…" Her voice faltered and drifted away. The lump in her throat tightened and she let out a quaking breath, looking up at the ceiling with the hopes that the tears might sink back into her skull and stay there. But they came, fast and unrelenting.

And suddenly she was in his arms, silent sobs traded between them. She mutteredI'm sorryinto his shoulder, tears staining his scarf. His hand brushed through her hair, down her neck, and he pressed his forehead to hers. The heat was gone, left with nothing but a slow burn, like a bubbling wound. She hissed through her teeth, trying to reign in the tears. "I'm so sorry, Mako. I wish…" He shushed her and pressed a long kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry." He echoed, brushing tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

"Bo, he's—" She couldn't form a sentence. She didn't know what would become of Bolin. She just hoped that her sloppy work didn't spell disaster for any work Katara could do.

They stood silently, holding each other, for a very long time. Both of them lost track of how long. Their muscles began to ache, standing there, but neither of them moved until Katara emerged looking rather tired but overall optimistic.

"Your brother is going to be fine. He just needs plenty of rest. No bending for at least a week. In fact, he probably shouldn't leave his bed. But he'll be just fine." She smiled warmly at the pair of them.

Korra nearly cried out with relief, the tears coming fresh. Her knees gave a little but she recovered quickly. "Thank the spirits."

"Would you like to go in to see him? I gave him a little something to distract from the pain—cactus juice. Powerful stuff. He might be a little out of it."

Mako let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He twined his hand with Korra's and nodded. "Yes, definitely."


	30. on cactus juice

**AN: **I had a couple people say they wanted to see Bo on cactus juice. So instead of my next drabble, here's this. Enjoy!

on cactus juice

(a companion to promise)

Each member of team Avatar had their own distinct reactions to cactus juice.

Asami could never really get used to the taste. She'd had fermented wines from across the globe (she became quite the connoisseur really) but cactus juice seemed to be such a base drink. Furthermore its effects were a little too intense for her liking. She usually had a tendency to spit it out the moment she took a sip.

Korra's father had offered her a sip of cactus juice when she was six years old as a joke. He'd assumed she would just spit it out and that would be the end of it. Lesson learned. She'd only had a sip, really, but that had been enough. To say the least, the results were rather explosive. She hasn't had cactus juice since. Much too dangerous.

Mako had tried it before. He hadn't minded the taste and the effects had been rather minimal at best, but with a handful like Bolin to deal with, he'd never seen drinking it regularly as a reasonable option. It didn't affect him like it often did other people but it dulled his senses enough that he wasn't particularly in control. And Mako liked being in control.

Bolin was the worst with cactus juice. He liked the taste. He liked the effect. His only saving grace was his anti-addictive personality. Otherwise he'd have been a goner a long time ago.

Bo's medicine addled mind registered a knock at the door. At least, it might've been a knock. Or it might've been the roar of a giant lion turtle. He really couldn't tell the difference.

"…I'm not sure it was a good idea for Katara to give him cactus juice." Mako's voice. It was familiar and it brought a happy giggle to Bolin's lips. His arms struggled against restraints, his hands pawing at the air. He longed to lay a sloppy kiss on his brother's cheek.

It wouldn't be the first time. Bolin was a very affectionate drunk.

"Why do you say that? What happens?" Korra. Her brow was pulling together, the thin strands tying like boot laces. Bolin was very concerned for her. He was pretty sure eyebrows weren't supposed to do that. He cried out. His speech wasn't quite intelligible yet.

Korra's eyes widened at the squirming man in bed. Katara had the foresight to tie him down, at least for the time being. He was whimpering like a small wounded animal and pointing at her head. She tentatively touched the crown of her head, confusion rippling across her face. "Do I have something on my face?"

Mako shook his head. "He's just hallucinating. As I understand it, Bo has very vivid visions due to cactus juice." He sat on the edge of his brother's bed, smiling wryly at the mildly distressed boy.

Bo strained up onto his elbows, pointing a quaking finger at Korra's head. He found his voice at last, his brilliant green eyes nearly popping out of his skull. "THEY'RE ALIVE." He was 99% positive Korra's eyebrows were now slithering around her face. The other 1% was certain they had never existed in the first place.

Korra stifled a giggle. "Is he always like this when he has cactus juice?"

Mako nodded. "Worse, actually. When he usually has cactus juice he isn't restrained. Hey!" Mako let out a yelp, jumping off the bed and turning to glare at his brother. He rubbed at a spot close to his lower back. "He's also kind of handsy."

"Mako! I love you! Mama Mako. Momko! MOMKO!" Bolin dissolved into a fit of giggles. Mako glared and Korra tried to hide her smile behind a careful hand.

"So, is this what you're like when you drink cactus juice?" Korra asked. Bolin started squealing again and pointing at her face. It was starting to get annoying.

Mako shook his head. "No, thankfully. I guess I'm just not as much of a lightweight. What about you? Ever had cactus juice?"

She made a face. More screaming. "Yes. Just once. I kind of burned down my parents house. I haven't exactly had it since." She let out a weak laugh.

Mako blanched. "Perhaps that's for the better then." He chuckled and leaned down over his brother. "How you feeling Bo?"

Bolin hummed and his eyes drooped. Korra and her dancing eyebrows had tuckered him out. "Quenchy." Mako patted his head, smiling in that warm way he reserved only for people he truly cared about. Even through his drug-induced stupor, it warmed something in him. Bolin grinned and sighed. That smile, Mako's 'only for Bo' smile, that was home.

Even if Mako had somehow transformed into a giant blue fire ferret.


	31. simple

**AN: **I've got one more drabble to post after this one. But after that, that's all I've got. That isn't to say, however, that this will go away or that I'll stop writing drabbles. My point is, a couple of people have expressed a desire for me to continue doing these drabbles. I've said before that I would like to continue them, but ONLY if I get prompts. They don't have to be complicated. They can be one word prompts, like the challenge. Or they can be more specific, like "Bolin on cactus juice."

If I don't get any prompts though, I won't write. I have plenty of other projects to work on. I love writing these, but I'm not going to lie and say I don't need a little motivation sometimes. Furthermore, I will write ANY romantic ship except incest ships like Mako/Bolin or Noatak/Tarrlok. Mostly cus it weirds me out. I'd even be willing to venture into some A:TLA territory if anyone was interested. I'm really open to any prompts or suggestions.

Me continuing to write these is really up to you guys. If I get an idea all by myself I might post it, but that will probably only be every once in a blue moon. So if you want updates regularly, you're gonna have to spam me with prompts. That's all I'm saying.

simple

Her head was aching. No matter how much she thought about it, there was no clear solution. Korra had gained a certain amount of strategy the last couple of years but she still missed the feeling of barging in, power present and blazing. It felt more natural that way.

What was natural to her, however, was not always the most effective solution.

She groaned and let out a frustrated sigh, pushing the map away and burying her face in her hands. In the morning she would meet with the council and discuss the problem at hand. They would form some sort of attack measure. Korra couldn't see one that didn't put a lot of lives in danger. She hated that things were never as simple as barging in and beating the bad guys. She hated feeling just a little bit helpless.

There was a knock at the door. Korra lifted her tired eyes to see a familiar silhouette framed in the light of the doorway. "Korra?"

She sighed, brushing sweat away from her brow. Wisps of hair stuck to her forehead and neck. "I'm sorry if I woke you. I didn't mean to come in so late." She muttered, kneading her finger into the knots in her neck.

Mako stepped into the light of the room, his eyes red with sleep. Korra rationalized that she should have gone back to Air Temple Island for the rest of the night instead of disturbing the apartment of the bending brothers. But it was newly renovated and she knew she wouldn't be bothered by any monks or members of the white lotus there.

She was basically haunting them at this point.

"Are you still working?" He asked, stepping closer to the counter where Korra sat. His voice was muddled and husky. He seemed to be blinking thought back into his features.

"I was. I'm not really making much headway." Defeat was tangible. There was something sad in her eyes: lost. He settled his elbows on the counter across from her, leaning over the map curiously. He was gaining intelligence fast.

"Yeah, the compound. You can't attack without endangering the civilians." He pointed to the little village on the map, his brows pulling together.

"Exactly." Her head settled against her fist, that familiar characteristic pout forming on her lips. "I'm just hoping Tenzin or Iroh will have a decent solution in the morning. I don't expect Bumi to have the most steadfast fix." She let loose a weak smile before her head sunk to the table.

"No, he's a bit too much like you."

She looked up at him through her lashes. "I am not like Bumi."

"Well, no, not strictly speaking, though you do have fairly similar attack strategies." He smiled at her, daring her to challenge the statement.

She sat up, stretching her arms. "You've got me there."

Mako stood, offering her his hand over the counter. "Come on. You should get some sleep. Maybe you'll have a clearer head in the morning." She considered his offer for a moment, taking in the sight of his mussed hair and wrinkled shirt. When she took his hand it was still uncommonly warm, like he'd been basking in the sun for several hours.

She stood and maneuvered around the counter, settling automatically into his side as she had many times before. She stretched up to him, kissing his sleep darkened lips. Her hands fisted in his shirt as his reached up to palm either side of her face.

She leaned back, tasting his slumber on her lips. "My head feels clearer already."

He swung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her toward his bedroom, her face tucked into his shoulder the whole way.

If only being the Avatar was as simple as being Korra. As simple as this.


	32. swim

**AN: **I feel like I should have an explanation for this… But I don't.

Prompt:

"I know how to swim! I'm not an idiot, you know."

Asami regretted inviting Korra to go swimming.

"That is the worst back stroke I've ever seen." Korra commented, her legs dangling over the edge of the pool. Her hair was drying quickly, steam rising from her skin. She nursed a plate of dumplings, her mouth full of them as she began to speak. "You've got terrible form. You'd never survive in the South Pole. Or the North, for that matter."

Asami tried to reign in a seething reply. She wasn't so successful. "At least I'm not the one who can't survive mid-morning traffic in an empty parking lot." Asami hoisted herself out of the water next to Korra, her arms folded over her chest. She'd recently been teaching Korra to drive.

It wasn't going well.

"There are a lot of buttons, okay!" Korra protested, slipping into the water and sneaking another dumpling between her lips. "Maybe I should teach you how to swim. Wouldn't want you drowning when the ice caps melt."

Asami huffed, wringing out her hair. She could have asked Korra to dry it for her but that would have required her to ask for Korra's help. She wasn't in the mood. "I know how to swim, Korra. I'm not an idiot."

Korra stretched out on her back, floating effortlessly and beautifully on the water. Asami wasn't sure if it was because she was from the water tribe, a water bender, or the Avatar. Probably all three. "Clearly they have a very loose definition of swimming here in the city." Korra mused idly, her arms pin wheeling slowly. She drifted away.

"Or maybe you just have ridiculously high standards." Asami spat, glaring at the empty plate of dumplings.

Korra made a face and stood, making her way back over to Asami with surprising speed. "Not likely." She stood in front of the elder girl, bobbing in the water. "Come on, get back in the water. Lesson time."

"I don't need you to teach me how to swim. I had exorbitantly paid teachers for that." She smirked, raising a challenging brow at the Avatar.

Korra's brow quirked. She stepped closer, rising a little so their eyes were level. "Well, I could teach you other things." The mischief in her voice was tangible. Asami didn't have a free moment to think before their lips were moving together, slowly and certainly like the lap of the water against the sides of the pool.

Asami, being sufficiently distracted, wasn't quite prepared when Korra pulled her very abruptly into the pool, burying her immaculate head beneath the surface.

When Asami's head broke the water, strands of hair strewn down her face, she was glaring. Korra was laughing. She made a face like she was sorry.

She wasn't.


	33. future

**AN: **Welp, that's all folks.

If I get a few more prompts in the next week, I'll keep this story open. If not, at the end of next week I'll mark it as complete and that will be that. I will be posting tomorrow though.

future

"Come on! I've never been to one of these before." Asami pinched the bridge of her nose, skepticism a living thing on her features. Mako's expression was similar though he seemed rather taken with the look of delight on Korra's face. Bolin was, predictably, bouncing with excitement.

"It's a scam, Korra. The first time I went in one, the woman told me I'd lose all my hair in a tragic ice fishing accident." Asami protested, pouting and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Still technically possible." Bolin pointed out. She leveled a glare at him. He shrunk away at the speed of light.

"I don't care! Let her come up with the most ridiculous future for me. Come on, it'll be funny." Korra coaxed, tugging Mako along by the hand. Bolin and Asami had no choice but to follow.

"Well, the first time we went to one, she told me I'd one day be a great pro bender. Still think it's a hoax?" Bolin's smile was cherubic. He bumped Asami playfully and she smiled back ruefully, her green eyes rolling in her head.

"Sure, Bo, but she also told you that you'd lose a hand before you started puberty." Mako reminded his brother as Korra peaked through the curtains of the little carnival stall. He could smell incense and heat. Bells drifted in and out.

Korra paused, looking back at Mako. "What about you? What did she tell you?"

He shrugged, a devious smile playing on his lips. "She said I'd meet a girl." He paused, allowing the smile to spread across her lips. "And she said I'd wish I hadn't met her about five minutes after meeting her. So I guess fortune tellers aren't a total sham." Korra's eyes narrowed and she disappeared behind the curtains.

The little booth was hot and filled to the brim with heady scents. The little woman at the table looked older than death. She wore a little paper name tag that read "Aunt Wu II" in shaky handwriting. Her face was caked with more makeup than Asami owned and her hair was piled in such a haphazard lump on her head that Korra wasn't entirely sure it was all human. It might've been a nest of some sort. She didn't care to find out.

"Have you come to learn your future? Perhaps a card reading?" The woman's voice was gravely and it crackled on the way out of her lips. Korra sat across from her uncertainly, searching for words of response. "No? Better a palm reading then." Aunt Wu II held out her hand expectantly. Korra laid a few yuans on the table and extended her hand.

She felt her friends peeking through the crack in the tent. The fabric rustled and she knew they all stood behind her, eagerly awaiting Aunt Wu's verdict regardless of skepticism.

"I see you are a powerful bender." Aunt Wu declared, her scaly fingertips trailing down the creases of Korra's hand. Korra resisted the impulse to roll her eyes. "The Avatar. Powerful indeed. You have faced many enemies—and still yet more, even more powerful ones, wait for you." Korra shifted uncertainly. It wasn't exactly a surprising fortune, though it certainly confirmed many fears. "You reign during a time of great change. The era of bending is evolving. Do not accept what already is as law." She said this with a focused air, her eyes and hands probing Korra's outstretched one with intense interest.

She turned over Korra's hand, her fingertips grazing her calloused knuckles. "You will gain many allies. You will question loyalties to the ones you love. But you will stay true, given time." Aunt Wu seemed to pull out of a trance. She looked up at Korra with wide peculiar eyes and she flipped Korra's hand back over.

"You also may be pregnant with your first child. I thank you for your business. Goodbye." She hurriedly ushered a stymied Korra out of her tent.

Frozen outside, Korra didn't seem capable of moving her face or any other part of her body. Mako was rather pale. Asami looked like she couldn't decide whether or not to laugh or cry. She seemed to compromise by doing both.

"Well, that wasn't so weird, don't you think?" Bolin commented, shrugging and taking off towards a kiosk full of food.


	34. failure

**AN: **Wow I've got my work cut out for me. I guess I won't be going anywhere any time soon. XD

Also, as a side note, have you guys been keeping up with news from Comic Con? BECAUSE IT IS TEARING ME APART. I am dead. Destroyed. Spirits, it's all too much. I wish I'd been there.

_Asked by iBend_

pure failure

Korra was alone in the spirit world.

She sat amongst the roughage, her head bowed in shame, her hands poised in her lap for meditation. She looked up at the sepia sky, her blue eyes bright, and she sighed. She had expected to find Aang waiting for her. He often was.

But apparently not today.

She understood why. She'd made a mistake. She had to find her own path back. That was the whole point. No one could tell her what she'd done wrong. She had to figure it out for herself, or else it didn't really mean anything.

She sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. The spirit world had become an escape for her since she'd become a fully realized Avatar. No one, literally no one, could bother her here. It allowed her to think and feel more clearly. Being on earth, well, it was rather grounding if you'll excuse the pun.

"Everyone is mad at me." She mumbled to no one in particular. "I did something I wasn't supposed to. I abused the Avatar state." She paused, her arms tightening around her knees. "I know I shouldn't have. I don't know what I was thinking. I just got caught up and I guess that knowing I could after not knowing for so long…"

She trailed off. She didn't know what kind of argument she was trying to make. They were all excuses. She was being selfish, she knew. Korra buried her face in her hands and let out a shaky breath.

"Aang never would have behaved like this. I don't know what is wrong with me. Nothing I do is ever quite right. I'm just… I'm the worst Avatar." She pounded a fist against the ground, her fingers curling into the dust reflexively.

She waited in the silence for some sort of response. When none came, she nodded her head in dejection. "I should go apologize."

The slightest breeze picked up her hair, brushing it against her neck. "Yeah, that's what I thought."


	35. borra

**AN: **I've neglected Borra. I'm very sorry. I'm an equal opportunity writer, I promise.

_Requested by Jokermask18_

borra

She was settled in the dust, her limbs jelly. Exhaustion replaced adrenaline and for a terrifying moment Korra was afraid she couldn't sit up.

Shame shot through her, fast and true, and she resisted a horrified sob. She'd heard that Aang had gone into the Avatar state many times due to anger or grief. Korra had always been hot headed but she'd never been so angry in her life. It was frightening. But most of all she wished her friends hadn't seen her that way.

There was nothing she could do about it now.

"Korra?" His voice was gentle, sympathetic. She registered tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't remember when she'd started crying. His thumbs brushed against her cheeks; not that it did any good .The tears kept coming, paying no heed to his probing fingers. "Korra, look at me."

Her eyes shifted and fell, up and down, like they were searching for something beyond the veil of reality. He gripped either side of her face, bringing her back to earth, like he always did. He was there when she forgot herself.

Blue eyes met green ones. "Bolin?" He nodded. She reached up a trembling hand to grasp his arm. "Is he okay? Tenzin. Is he alright?" Her voice trembled. She thought of the air babies and Pema and Katara.

Bolin nodded. "Are you alright?" Her eyes shifted out of focus, looking beyond his shoulder to the prone body beyond them. Mako seemed to be inspecting him. Asami watched them from a distance, something akin to fear on her face.

Korra shook her head. "I wish you hadn't seen me like that." She closed her eyes to him, attempting to bury her face away.

His hands were firm and unmoving. She couldn't escape. He had that soft look he often had when he spoke to her; it was an innocence she was desperately afraid of losing. "Korra. You know I've seen a lot of things scarier than you. You're not gonna get rid of us that easily."

She studied the cheeky smile on his lips, her strength returning quickly. She reached up to take his face between her hands and planted a long kiss on his lips. Bolin startled, falling back on his hands. He was always surprised when she kissed him. Like each time she was as spectacular as the day they met. Not even rage monster Avatar could change that.


	36. armwrestle

_Requested by Jokermask18_

arm-wrestle

"I got fifty yuans on Lin." Asami made an aside to Bolin. He shook his head emphatically, offering the elder girl a few bills between his fingers.

"Nah, Korra's got this in the bag." He insisted.

"I wouldn't be so sure. They're both pretty unrelenting. It could go either way." Mako said in hushed tones. The three of them stood off to the side, watching as Lin and Korra mentally prepared themselves for the fight at hand.

"You can concede now, Lin. There's always time to turn back." Korra said with a self-satisfied smirk, adjusting the midnight blue arm bands around her wrist. She had the same look on her face that she wore when she won a pro-bending match.

Lin looked up at her from across the table, the light of the room insufficient to explore the elder woman's face. She didn't look quite as certain as the Avatar; but then again, she didn't look particularly nervous either. She was carefully blank: the picture of a poker face. "You overestimate yourself, Avatar." Lin said carefully. Her words were full of a competitive sort of venom. Mako was right. This could go either way.

The two women positioned their arms over the table, fingers tensed and ready. Korra stretched her hand once. Lin remained eerily still.

Then it began. The two women froze, muscles straining. Their eyes locked and the earth beneath them buckled; there was a mild cry of outrage from the owner of the restaurant. "Sorry." The women muttered simultaneously, both of them unconsciously righting the wrongs they'd done to the floor.

Neither of them was able to make any headway one way or the other. They sat silently, sweat dripping down their cheeks, for several long minutes. Bolin, Mako, and Asami grew bored very quickly.

"So, does this mean I win the bet?" Mako finally turned to his comrades, a cheeky smile on his lips.

"You didn't contribute to the pot. So no." Asami replied dryly.

"Yeah, besides, you said it could go either way. Not that neither of them would win." Bolin pointed out sagely.

Mako sighed and called over to the Avatar and earth bender who were still turning blue with concentration. "How long are you two gonna keep this up?"

"As long as it takes." Korra hissed through her teeth.

Lin startled, their hands quaking at the movement. "I don't think so." The chief declared. She slammed the Avatar's hand down so hard that the whole shop shook. "Been a pleasure, Avatar. I have things to do." She pushed away from the table and stood.

Korra looked up at Lin, dumbfounded. "How did you do that?"

Lin shrugged. "My desire to leave was more than your desire to win."

Asami gave Bolin a sweet smile as she thumbed through her winnings. Lin approached at a brisk pace. "I'll be taking that. I did the work, after all." She said, snatching the bills from Asami's hands and exiting the restaurant with a muted swagger in her steps. The four of them stared after her, mouths agape.

Bolin pouted. "What just happened?"


	37. belching

**AN: **Tomorrow I'll work on someone else's prompt to shake things up. XD

_Requested by Jokermask18_

belching

Bolin was already sufficiently passed out on the other side of the couch. He'd had more than his fair share of cactus juice. Korra leaned over it, her head cocked to the side to examine the slumbering earth bender. "Mako, I think he's out cold." She said decisively, turning back to the others and sliding down a few inches on the couch. Mako stood from his place next to her and went to retrieve his wayward brother.

"Come on, bro. It's time to go to bed." Mako coaxed, pulling Bolin up over his shoulder. The earth bender groaned and let out an unintelligible protest. Mako sighed. "If you wanted to convince me you were sober, you probably should have used actual words to form an argument."

Bolin's sleepy eyes formed a glare and he let out a rank burp. Asami and Korra could smell it several feet away. Asami, sitting leisurely across from Korra, wrinkled her nose and made a face at the bottle of cactus juice still sitting on the coffee table.

"I don't know how he drinks this stuff. It's foul." She said, lifting the bottle and taking a whiff. The scent was acidic, like medicine or cleaning solution. The fermented wines she'd grown up with, while bitter, always had a quite pleasant and intoxicating scent. This was the drink of the common folk, apparently.

"It helps if you hold your breath." Mako returned with a laugh. He settled in next to a drowsy Korra, his arm draped over her shoulder.

Korra shrugged, taking the bottle from Asami and downing a long swig. "I don't know. The taste goes away after a little while." Her chest heaved, she made a face, and she let out a spectacularly unladylike burp. "My apologies. Cactus juice: Not the classiest of drinks." She toasted Asami and set the bottle back on the table.

There was a crash behind them. The three of them startled, looking up to see Bolin stumbling out of his room. "That—that was pathetic, Avatar."

"Bo—." Mako tried to protest.

"No! I challenge you." Bolin pronounced, clinging to the back of the sofa. He pointed a shaking finger at Korra's face. "Agni Kai."

"You're an earth bender, Bo." Asami pointed out.

Bolin scrambled around the sofa and sat on his knees in front of them. He waved his arms emphatically, shaking his head. He looked rather like rag doll. "I CHALLENGE YOU AS WELL. BURP KAI."

"I don't think that's such a good—." Asami began.

"Are you afraid, Miss Sato?" Bolin said, slithering over the coffee table. Mako picked up the bottle of cactus juice before Bo could knock it off.

Asami's eyes narrowed. She extended her hand for the bottle of cactus juice.

"This isn't going to end well." Mako mumbled, relinquishing the bottle. Korra's eyes darted from Asami to Bolin who was rolling rather awkwardly over the coffee table. He scrubbed excitedly at his face, a drunken grin spreading from ear to ear.

Asami glared down at Bolin, challenge in her green eyes. "Bottoms up." She muttered, upending the bottle and beginning to chug.

The other three stared in awe as she downed the remains of the bottle. She coughed at the end of it, her face twisting in disgust before her chest rose, her lips pursed, and she let out the most unholy belch the world has ever paid witness to.

Mako pulled his scarf up over his nose, Korra buried hers in his shoulder and Bolin seemed to have fallen off the edge of the coffee table completely.

"Excuse me." Asami muttered sheepishly, her hand over her mouth.

"She wins." Bolin cried out from under the coffee table.


	38. constipation

**AN: **IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK.

_Requested by Flamey-O's Insta_

constipation

Rohan was learning new words.

Jinora sat peacefully in the gazebo, her legs outstretched and a book in her lap. She snacked on apple slices. A cool breeze wafted over her from the ocean, bringing with it the briny smell of the bay and the distant call of pigeon-koi.

Distantly she heard the pad of tiny feet. A small smile came to her lips, but she did not look up from her book, didn't move except to take another slice of apple from the cloth napkin next to her.

"What are you up to, Rohan?" She called, flipping a page in her book. The pad of feet ceased. She looked up to see her youngest sibling standing at the edge of the gazebo looking sheepish. His head was recently shaven. Jinora recalled having seen paintings of her grandfather as a child. Rohan looked just like him. It was eerie.

Rohan cocked his head at her, his hands folded behind his back. The six year old air bender was perhaps more curious even than Ikki, though he was much more polite than his elder sister. "Whatcha reading?"

Jinora glanced down at her book. "A Dance with Dragons. I don't know if you'd like it. It's a little bloody." She replied, holding it up for him to see the cover. He blinked his understanding but elected to ignore her warning.

"Can I read it with you?" Jinora blinked at him uncertainly, glancing down at the page before deciding it wasn't a big deal. She nodded her assent and scooted where she sat, clearing a space for her baby brother. He scrambled up the steps to the gazebo and settled in next to her, leaning over her lap for a better look.

She settled an arm around his shoulders and pulled the book up for both of them to see. Rohan squirmed and reached for it, his face twisting with concentration.

"Fire and smoke sew-sew-sur-sur—."

"Surged." Jinora offered.

"-surged up around her. She watched as the twin dragons circled around her. She could not deseper—."

"Decipher."

"—decipher what it was they were trying to say; she could only stare up at the magnificent creatures in udder constipation."

Jinora's eyes went wide and she let out a nervous laugh. "Ah, no, Rohan. Not constipation. Consternation."

"What does that mean?"

"It's like confusion." Jinora offered, smiling awkwardly.

"Oh." Rohan muttered, nodding slowly. "Well, that makes much more sense."


	39. twins

**AN: **I felt like doing my own prompt today. I'll get back to your prompts tomorrow, I promise.

Also, I really like OCs ok. Sorry about this.

I JUST HAD A COMPULSION. LEAVE ME ALONE I'M TIRED. -dies-

twins

Thirteen year-old Zara was less than pleased. She was losing. To a water bender no less. She'd never live it down.

"Had enough, Zara? Or would you like to go again?" Katia teased with a sly smile. The water bender's hair was pulled back in a ponytail, little wisps of black hair sticking to the sweat on her forehead. She had her mother's piercing blue eyes and her overconfidence to boot. She stood, poised and ready, her hands held aloft, a rotating rope of water twisting around her.

Zara chanced a grin. Her own brown hair was half pulled back in braids. Strands of it stuck to her neck and cheeks. She adjusted her stance: a casual mocking sort of tilt. Flames lit the tips of her fingers.

Like hell she was going to give up now.

Wordlessly the two girls both went on the offensive. Their parries turned the air to steam and smoke. Neither of them seemed likely to gain any ground in the fight.

"Katia! Zara! It's time for dinner." Their younger brother, Kuro, came out of the house looking rather intimidated by his sisters' battle. He knew better than to get between them when they got into a sparring match. Someday, though, he hoped to be able to take them on.

Huffing, the two girls ceased their attacks. Their stances relaxed and they approached each other, proud and determined looks on their nearly identical faces. "Good match." Zara offered stoically, offering her sister her hand.

"Yes." Katia agreed, accepting Zara's hand. They stood for a long moment, staring each other down, their grips intensifying. Their faces seemed to purple with the effort.

"What are you kids standing out here for? Your father has dinner ready." Korra appeared in the doorway, a pout on her lips and an eyebrow raised. The girls looked up from their staring contest.

"We were sparring, mom." Zara announced proudly. She trotted into the house.

Katia beckoned Kuro along with a gentle tug on his collar. "Come on pip squeak." Kuro's face crinkled with annoyance.

"What gives you the right to call me a pip squeak?"

"Because you are a pip squeak." Katia smiled sardonically and shoved him playfully into the house. Korra cast her daughter a skeptical look.

"So who won the match?" She asked with a knowing smile. It was the same answer every time. Her twin daughters were rather evenly matched.

Katia feigned a truthful smile. "I did, of course."

"LIAR!"


	40. daughter

**AN: **And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

As an aside, I feel like Zuko's daughter would have been a major dork with human interaction just like him. So she is a reflection of this.

_Requested by Jokermask18_

Korra meets Zuko's daughter

Nine year-old Korra fidgeted anxiously in her new dress. She didn't like the way it felt. Her mother had brushed her hair and pulled it back special. It felt weird and foreign, like she was pretending to be someone else. The dress felt exposed; not at all ideal for bending in. She didn't understand why she had to get all gussied up for this Fire Lord person.

Her masters had praised her for her strange disguise, raving that she had never looked more beautiful in the clothes that felt like someone else's skin. She'd merely pouted and wrinkled her noses at their compliments, resisting the impulse to burn their eyebrows off to teach them a lesson.

"Stand up straight, Korra." One of the members of the White Lotus reprimanded. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her pout growing more and more pronounced with each passing second.

"When is this Fire Lord person gonna get here, anyway? We've been standing here forever." She complained loudly to anyone within earshot (which for Korra was a rather large radius).

"Ah, this looks to be her now." Katara said peacefully next to her. Korra looked up at the elder woman, taking in the nostalgic look on her face. "You know, Korra, the first time I saw a fire nation ship it was plowing through my village." Something sad came to the lines of Katara's mouth, but it vanished quickly. Korra followed her line of sight to the ship sliding quick and controlled into the harbor.

The ship was incredible: black and red and chugging out steam and smoke. It must've been as large as the entire White Lotus compound—maybe bigger. Against her better judgment, Korra found her mouth dropping open in awe. "Whoa."

A plank dropped from the docked ship and a party of officials came streaming off it, all of them donned in a violent vermillion. They were a stark contrast to the white of the snow and ice. Korra found she couldn't look away.

"It's good to see you again, Ursa." Katara smiled warmly; it was the same smile she often wore when any of her children came to visit. Korra liked seeing that look on her face.

The party of crimson-clad officials stopped before the line of White Lotus members. In the middle of them stood a woman of perhaps fifty, her hair pulled up in a topknot with a golden flame protruding from it. Korra blinked at the impending woman. She was uncommonly beautiful, despite her age. She seemed to carry power in her very being. This must've been the Fire Lord. Okay, Korra kind of liked her.

"Katara." Ursa smiled wide and beautifully, extending her arms to embrace the elder woman. She broke away quickly, however. Korra sensed that public displays of affection didn't really run in the family.

"Fire Lord Ursa, I'd like to introduce you to Avatar Korra. Korra, this is the Fire Lord." Katara gestured to Korra, her eyes passing between the younger girls. Korra stood suspended in disbelief for a moment.

It didn't last that long.

"Nice to meet you!" Korra's smile spread wide and enthusiastic. She'd forgotten how uncomfortable she'd been several moments ago. She offered Ursa a hand to shake, grinning from ear to ear.

Ursa blanched a little, looking nervous. She accepted Korra's outstretched hand timidly. Meeting people wasn't really her strong suit. "And you, Avatar."

"You can just call me Korra. Hey, that ship of yours is pretty cool. Do you think I could hitch a ride?"

Ursa blinked uncertainly at the child. "Well, I suppose so."

"Yes!" Korra cheered and without worrying about the consequences took off toward the fire nation ship at full speed.

Ursa stared after her in shock, her eyes wide and confused. "She's quite the spitfire, isn't she." She tapped her forefingers together, watching as Korra mounted the ship on a platform of ice.

A member of the White Lotus: "You have no idea."


	41. bumi is amon

**AN:** I'm sorry I haven't posted for a couple of days. I was feeling really burnt out. I've been writing every day for the last forty days, so it's been quite the streak. I think I just needed a bit of siesta. Forgive me.

_Requested by Jokermask18_

Bumi is Amon

The stillness between them was tangible, frozen like concrete. Past them, beyond the bars of the cell, were Tenzin's wife and children, all of them fast asleep; they were dozing the trauma away. They'd been through a lot in the last twenty four hours-bagged, bundled, and kidnapped in the darkness. Taken hostage by men in masks wielding weapons of electrocution and fear. They were too young to experience these horrors. And they were too brave to ignore them.

Tenzin didn't try to fight the chains laced around his wrists and ankles. He'd already worked his wrists raw, rubbing and hissing at them until someone came along to check what the air bender prisoners were up to. Jinora had strained against hers until she cried. It must've been hours he watched his daughter struggle against her bindings. He felt ashamed that he'd given up so easily. She'd fallen asleep with her head in his lap, his hands desperate to brush her tears away.

When he finally came to confront him, Tenzin had been very careful to maneuver Jinora so that she didn't wake from her slumber. Spirits knew, his children deserved to get some sleep. Furthermore, she need not know the truth of their captor. He would never stop trying to protect them from things that might hurt them.

"You are quiet, Tenzin." Amon noted across from him. He stood across from the seated Tenzin, studying him beyond the macabre mask.

"I do not wish to wake my children." Tenzin noted quietly, staring quite determinedly at the floor.

"I see." That was his only reply. Silence stretched.

"Why have you done this, brother?" Tenzin's words were weak, almost lost in the silence. He felt the defeat sink into his skin, latch onto his bones, and make a nest in the pit of his stomach. He waited for the answer that would confirm his worst fears.

He didn't reply for several minutes. Tenzin feared he wouldn't; he feared he'd be stuck with this never ending unanswerable silence. He had to know the truth. He had to know why everything-family, duty, honor, love-had been abandoned for a vendetta against innocent people. He had to know how it had come to this. What had he done wrong that it had gone this far. To the ends of the earth.

"Tenzin, you know the answer to that question." He finally replied. His hood fell back and he pulled the mask from his face, revealing the dark, aged face Tenzin had long known as his brothers. He looked older than he should have and there were lines under his eyes that beget a deep seated hatred. It was unsettling, seeing that face on a man who had once been so full of life and joy.

"I'm not sure that I do, Bumi." Tenzin replied, anger leaking into his speech.

Bumi's eyes narrowed but he did not move from his spot across form Tenzin. "You know how hard it was to live in his shadow. Imagine living in that shadow with nothing remarkable to your name. You're an air bender, Tenzin. You were always his pride and joy. And Kya was the same with our mother. But me? A nonbender? What could I ever do to compare? It took me a while to figure out, but I realize this-this power that I've been given-this is what I was searching for all those years." He paused, the mask falling from his hands. His fist clenched. He looked like he almost wanted to take a step forward, but he hesitated.

"Don't you see, Tenzin? I just want equality. I want everyone to be on a level playing field. I don't want anyone to ever feel like I did all those years-locked in inadequacy." His voice was pleading, begging for his younger brother to understand.

"But father never saw you as inadequate, Bumi. Nor I, nor Kya, nor mother. You were the brightest of us. Smarter and braver and more fun than Kya and I combined. But this? This isn't a semblance of the person you were." Tenzin paused, struggling to find words. "We thought you were dead, Bumi! Do you have any idea... You disappeared and you came back as this. I don't even know what you are anymore. You're certainly not my brother."

Bumi's expression grew savage. He began reattaching the mask to his face. "Then perhaps it's better if Bumi stays dead, don't you think."


	42. drunk gaang

**AN:** Today we're gonna do something a little different. I got a request for a little Gaang cactus juice action (apparently getting the characters of ATLA and TLOK drunk is the best way to have a good time; I can't say I disagree). So I'll be posting that here because I'm too lazy to give it its own one shot piece. Also because I need to post something today and this is what I felt like working on.

Also, let me just say, this was SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE. I can't even.

Gah, sorry. I forgot to add that I'll be on hiatus until Friday. I'm going to visit my grandmother who lives in the Great Land without Internet, so I won't be posting again until Friday or Saturday. Sorry guys. :(

_Requested by Animefreak99-06_

drunk Gaang

Aang really couldn't understand how it had escalated so quickly. He could've sworn he hadn't had that much to drink. But he'd already lost a large chunk of time and he found himself drooling on the floor of their house in Ba Sing Se. Katara was mumbling something unintelligible where she lay draped over his lap. Distantly he heard Sokka's distinct cackling laugh. He was pretty sure he could hear some sort of dying animal in the corner too.

He sat up, a hand pressed to his bald head. "What happened?"

Katara looked up at him through angry bloodshot eyes. She held a bottle of cactus juice but it appeared to be incredibly empty. Had she drained it herself? "Oh, like you don't know." She held the empty bottle aloft savagely, shoving it in his face. "You drank all of it! All the cactus juice. Selfish Avatar. I just..." Her eyes began to well up. "I just wanted some more, Aang. You TRAITOR." She curled the bottle into her chest and cradled it like a child.

Aang was pretty sure he didn't drink that entire bottle of cactus juice himself. In fact, his memories were flooding back. And he was pretty sure that Katara had hit him over the head with it for trying to take it away from her. He really hadn't been drinking that much.

"No, I mean, where did everybody go?" Aang shook his head and glanced around the room. It was in shambles. The rest of their group was nowhere to be seen, though there did seem to be a suspicious form in the corner. It might've been Momo.

Katara breathed a sigh, melting in his lap. She seemed to forget the empty bottle. Her hands instead found the tie of his robes with interest, starting to pull at them haphazardly. "Mmmdunno." She mumbled. Aang caught her hands and placed them back in her own lap. She pouted, but didn't object further.

Aang peered into the darkness at the form in the corner. It couldn't be Momo. Much too big. He took in the broad shoulders, the dark unkempt hair-"Zuko?" Aang called. The whimpering stopped and the elder boy turned. His eyes were absurdly bloodshot, tears and other bodily fluids ran down his face. His lip quivered and he let out a strangled cry.

"I have to get my honor back, Aang!" He shouted pathetically, burying his face in his hands. Aang rolled his eyes and pulled his legs from under Katara. She protested lightly, but seemed to forget the injustice rather quickly. She curled up on the floor and began to snore.

"You got your honor back, Zuko." Aang muttered dryly, getting up and moving to the hallway to search for the rest of their friends. He could hear Sokka's laughter. He wasn't quite as sober as he thought he was because he stumbled on the way down. He came upon a bedroom and opened the door, searching.

Sitting on the bed were two figures. He couldn't make them out in the darkness. He sparked a flame in his hands and was greeted with the sight of Mai and Suki... Well, they were... Well, it was surprising to say the least.

The two broke apart at the light, their glazed eyes taking in the sight of each other before even beginning to consider looking at Aang. Shock and horror blossomed across their faces. "You're not Sokka!" Suki exclaimed, nearly falling off the edge of the bed.

"No really! You're not exactly Zuko either, now are you." Mai shot back viciously, standing and taking a few measured steps away from the brunette.

Aang blinked at the sight before letting a sheepish smile spread across his lips. "Well, this is awkward. I'll be going now." He declared, promptly shutting the door behind him.

Through the door, however, he did hear one last thing. "You're just lucky you're not a bad kisser or else you'd be so dead right now."

Aang tried to wash the mental images from his brain. He wasn't particularly successful. He decided, then, that it was probably best to call out for his companions instead of intruding on them, should anymore unfortunate incidents like the previous occur.

Unfortunately he didn't have much say in the matter.

"Sokka! Toph!" He called through the house, using his hand to light the way. He heard Sokka's familiar laugh and followed the sound. "Sokka!" Another laugh, louder and more manic this time. "Sokka, where are you?"

In answer, the water tribe boy burst from a bedroom at the end of the hallway, cackling and waving his arms frantically. On his shoulder Momo was perched, screeching loud enough to wake the entire city of Ba Sing Se. These were not, however, the most alarming things about Sokka's appearance. No, rather, it was his distinct lack of clothing that was most appalling.

The elder boy rushed past Aang, laughing and streaking through the hallway and into the living room. Aang followed (against his better judgement) and groaned as he watched Sokka circle the living room stark naked.

To Aang's immense horror there was a knock at the door. "What now?" He groaned and pressed a hand to his face. He went to the door, opening it only so much as to reveal his face (and not the streaking warrior still crying with glee behind him).

He didn't things could get any worse. He was wrong.

On his doorstep stood two members of the Ba Sing Se police force. Their stone gloves seemed to be struggling to maintain control on the small blind woman who was giggling madly and struggling to stay on her feet. Toph's smile was crooked and she was covered in dirt and mud. The officers released her and let her wander into the house beyond Aang. "She has a court hearing tomorrow morning." One of them stated dryly. The officers looked like they'd been through the ringer.

"For what?" Aang asked, appalled.

"Destruction of property."


	43. koh

**AN:** And now back your your regularly scheduled programming. I'm back. Did you miss me? I missed you. The land without internet is a dreary place. Anyway, I have a couple of notes.

I'm amazed by the number of prompts I've gotten. I have enough prompts to last me at least a couple of weeks. And I'm so glad that you guys have enjoyed reading these as much as I've enjoyed writing them. However, for the sake of my sanity, I must close prompts until Friday of next week. I'm beginning to lose track of which ones I have and haven't done and I don't really want to miss anybody.

I want to fill all of your prompt requests. So if you've requested something, I'll more than likely get around to it eventually. Because I have so many though, it might take me a while. I'm not doing them in any particular order because I don't want to spend too much extended time on any one person's prompts. I will do all of them, just not in order or all at once. Also, sometimes I just have inspiration to write one of the prompts I've been given. so I do that one immediately.

On that note, I'm requesting you hold off on prompts until the end of next week. Just know that you won't be short on new chapters.

_Requested by Jokermask18_

Korra meets Koh

Korra knew about Koh. After the four nations achieved peace, Aang had some help writing the history of previous Avatars as well as brief knowledge of the spirit world. As an Avatar who struggled with connecting to her spiritual self, this was especially important information for Korra. Not that she was one who particularly enjoyed reading. But she valued the information she received from the texts and referred back to it often in her younger years when spirituality seemed like an impossible achievement.

She'd always found the stories of Koh most disturbing. The tale of Avatar Kuruk and his lost love. Aang had even faced the demon spirit. He'd come out of it unscathed. But Aang was so controlled. Korra was the farthest thing from controlled and she feared the very idea of facing Koh (not that she'd ever admit it).

She supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised that she had to face the beast spirit eventually. That the survival of her friends and family depended upon her ability to remain impassive.

Even after learning to air bend she hadn't mastered spirituality. Not really. She only scratched the surface. So how could she face Koh, a fear she knew she had to face?

She stood before the demon spirit's lair, a dead and long forgotten wind stirring the hair on the back of her neck. She wondered if Aang had felt this paralyzed before he'd confronted the spirit. He'd been but twelve. She was well past that. She told herself she wasn't afraid.

But then a nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her that it was okay to be afraid. She just had to accept that she had the strength to overcome that fear. Internalize it. Make it her wall.

She planted her feet, soaking in the drained sepia landscape. Korra took and deep cleansing breath, in and out, her hands rising and falling with the motion of her chest. The face is just like any other part of the body; the muscles in it function just as carefully and precisely (if not more so) than any other muscle. Korra was capable of controlling her muscles so precisely that she fought with decisive and powerful movements. Some of the things she performed in combat required extensive control and training of the muscles. Any wrong move could seriously injure herself or someone else. The muscles in the face, she rationalized, could be treated in the same manner.

It was with this in mind that she schooled her expression to stony impassivity. Her bright eyes, usually full of fire, grew dull. Her lips, usually pursed in a characteristic pout, drew thin. Her face was blanker than the day she was born.

And so she entered the den of the beast.

"I wondered when I'd see you here." Korra's muscles tightened, but her expression did not change as the arachnid beast twisted around to greet her face. A woman with a devilish smile grinned back at her, a taunt.

"Tell me about the spirit that's been following me." Korra demanded, her voice betraying her more than her face. She reminded herself to relax, letting her muscles roll and uncoil slowly as she stared unfailingly into the faceless beast.

Koh changed, an elderly man's face taking the woman's place. "Ah yes, the messenger. He's an old friend of mine." The old man's grin was toothless.

"The messenger." Korra responded, waiting for more.

"The messenger is a harbinger." His face changed again, a sabertoothed moose lion roaring in her face. She blinked but did not flinch much more than that. "He brings tidings from the spirits. Spirits more powerful than I, I am afraid. I cannot say who. It's against the rules."

Korra resisted the impulse to narrow her eyes. "Rules?"

"You will find, young Avatar," He paused, the pale face of a child looking down at her from his squirming body above. "that the spirits are quite the secretive bunch. I am only an oracle. A medium if you will, between you people and the higher spirits. I can offer you no more information than this." His face changed again, the pouting lip of a teenager not much different than her looking back.

"Hmm. Well, thank you for your help." She turned to leave, her lips wavering a little now that she no longer stared him in the face.

"Do smile a little the next time you come to see me. I'd love to add a face like yours to my collection." Koh called back, his spindly body falling back into the shadows.

Korra hoped, muscles aching and heart racing, that she'd never be forced to seek out his help again.


	44. happy meal

AN: Again I think we'll mix things up today. This one will be a little bit AU. I've never done a whole lot of AU. Might take a crack at it with a few of these, if you don't mind. I hope you enjoy. :D

_Requested by Flamey-O's_

happy meal

There was a lot of in fighting in the back seat. Asami had half a mind to invest in a bullhorn. She considered that her car horn would probably suffice.

"Will you all SHUT UP." She screamed, a vein popping out of her forehead. She gripped the steering wheel deadly tight, her head thrown over her shoulder to glare at her three companions. Bolin sat next to her in the passenger seat. He was suspended over the back of his seat, towering over the form of Korra in the back. Korra, by contrast, seemed to be sinking deeper into the cushions of the car in wake of Asami's gaze. Next to her sat Mako, his hand frozen midair where he'd been intending to poke his brother out the opposite side of the car.

"I swear to the spirits, if you all don't calm down and figure out what you're ordering I will turn this car around and you all can go ask Pema to make you dinner. I'm sure she'll be happy to oblige at this time of night." Asami threatened venomously. They'd been sitting at the drive thru for a good fifteen minutes. Three cars had already pulled around them and left in frustration.

"Look, I don't see why I can't get the 50 piece chicken nuggets." Bolin complained loudly, watching his brother's suspended hand carefully.

"Because you won't eat that much, Bo. We both know that." Mako argued, falling back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.

"All I wanted was for someone to explain to me what a happy meal is. I'm from the water tribe remember. The only fast food we have we must kill ourselves." Korra pointed out, her voice irritated. She climbed awkwardly over Mako to peer at the menu. "To be honest, this all looks really disgusting."

"It is." Asami noted dryly. "But I personally think it's better than water tribe food. I'm not big on noodles." Asami splayed her hands, letting the anger seep slowly from her body. She stiffened as she felt the force of three collective glares behind her. She looked up to find Bolin staring deep into her face.

He poked a decisive finger into her shoulder. "Don't. Knock. The noodles."

"I'm not sure they'll let you have a happy meal, Korra. It's technically for kids." Mako noted, studying the menu through her arms. He didn't seem bothered that she was practically sitting on top of him.

Korra pouted. "But I've never had one. I don't know what they are. It's um... Exploratory purposes. Besides, I'm the Avatar. They can't say no to me. And if they do..." She trailed off, lifting a hand and lighting it with a manic grin.

"Oh, okay, down girl. They probably won't ask." Mako laughed, placing a tempering hand on her outstretched arm and bringing her gently back to her seat.

"We still haven't settled what I'm going to get. I really want the 50 piece." Bolin whined, gripping his chin and staring at the menu with determination. Mako rolled his eyes.

"We've talked about this Bo. The 50 piece costs more and you won't eat all of them. They don't exactly keep well. This place isn't exactly known for the quality of it's food."

"He's got a point." Asami noted, rubbing her temple. She was developing a headache. She just wanted to order.

"Come on, Mako. I swear I'll eat all of them." Bolin pleaded, summoning his most puppy-like expression and unleashing it upon the elder boy.

"Oh spirits, I'll pay for the stupid 50 piece if you really want them, Bo." Asami declared, banging a frustrated hand against the steering wheel.

"Yes!" Bolin whooped and settled back into his seat with a large grin plastered to his face.

Mako huffed and stared back at the menu as if it were some beautiful landscape worth examining. "If you get sick from all those nuggets don't expect me to go down to the pharmacy in the middle of the night. And if you start gassing up the apartment tonight, you're sleeping on the roof."

Bolin didn't seem particularly disturbed. Korra, however, looked quite aghast. "Are you sure eating at this place was a good idea?"

Asami barked a laugh and nodded, finally leaning over her window to begin reciting their order. "Trust me, Korra. You haven't lived until you've had a happy meal."


	45. penguin sledding

**AN:** I decided to do another AU. This one is set so that Korra grew up with the bending brothers. I've seen a few photosets of this idea on Tumblr and I thought it was beyond adorable. Plus, this kind of harkens backs to the first episode of ATLA, so it was a nice nostalgic piece for me to write.

Anyway, upwards and onward, right?

PSA: I promise that no penguins were harmed in the writing of this fanfic.

_Requested by Jokermask18_

Korra and Bolin go penguin sledding

"You know, you're brother is kind of a wet blanket." Korra noted disdainfully, clutching at Naga's fur. The young polar bear dog padded at her side, making a path through the snow. Korra, not a day over thirteen, melted the tall drifts of snow in front of them; it was mostly for something to do. She'd been learning a lot of new fire bending techniques recently and she wanted to try them out.

Bolin shrugged, smoothing back an unruly hair. He'd recently been introduced to the concept of styling product and had been experimenting quite a bit. He hadn't quite got the hang of it yet. "I guess. But, you know, he's just looking out for me. We don't exactly have the whole White Lotus around to protect us." He noted uncertainly. Her fire bending made him a little nervous. It shouldn't have. Mako was fire bending all the time. He wondered if the wound would always be raw.

"Ah, you gotta stop worrying about stuff like that. I'm not gonna let any thugs from the main village mess with you guys. I am the Avatar, after all." She gave him a cocky smile and blasted through a thick snow drift. Her grin was cherubic as she watched the steam drift upward from where the snow once stood.

"Avatar in training." Bolin pointed out with a smile. She merely rolled her eyes in response.

"Pure technicality, really." She waved a dismissive hand and began to climb a ledge. Naga stayed on solid ground, watching her carefully. The polar bear dog wasn't yet accustomed to sharing her just yet. "Ah, yes, there they are!" Korra cried out gleefully, waving for Bolin to climb the ledge and join her.

He followed dutifully and peered over the plateau where she pointed. Stretching out for miles were hundreds of penguins. The land dipped and fell, the snow spreading like sand dunes and endless shoots. Bolin thought of the ancient city of Oma Shu and wondered if it looked anything like the natural formations of the south pole. Somehow he doubted it.

"Woah." He breathed. "How do we catch one?"

Korra sighed and pulled something from the bag on her hip. "Easy. Bait." She held the dead fish aloft, grinning maniacally. Bolin blanched, receding from the stink of death. He'd never actually seen a dead fish before. It was always cooked by the time he set eyes on it. His green eyes zeroed in on the fish's cold unthinking ones and he felt his stomach heave.

Someday he might have a stronger constitution.

Korra vaulted over the ledge and slid down the ice fearlessly, whooping excitedly on the way down. Bolin wavered and then followed, fear filling up his throat briefly before giving way to euphoria. He let out a child-like laugh and fell face first into the snow.

He came up cold but giggling.

"Hey guys! Look! Dinner!" Korra called out to a group of penguins. They turned mechanically on their little legs. When they registered what she held in her hands, they came running at top speed (which wasn't particularly fast for them). They congregated around the young Avatar, leaping for the fish. She laughed and relented, easily grabbing hold of a pair of them. "Come on, Bolin. It's time you experienced the REAL south pole." She giggled as the penguins squirmed in her grasp.

Bo grinned and ran to her, grabbing one of the penguins around the middle. He had to admit, the penguins were almost as adorable as he was. "You sir." He declared, staring deeply into the penguins face. "We could be twins."

Korra laughed and shook her head. "You're such a goofball." She waved, directing him toward one of the many natural slides and shoots the snowy landscape produced. "Come on. Let's ride!" She and her penguin leaped toward the shoot, disappearing like lightning. The penguins might not have been fast runners, but boy could they slide.

"Come on Naga!" Bolin called over his shoulder, taking off down the shoot after his companion. The polar bear dog howled and bounded after them, tail wagging all the way.


	46. sand glass

**AN:** So I was skimming through the prompts I have left and this one really struck my fancy. I love writing anything with the bending brothers (I'm really partial to a good sibling relationship tbh) so this seemed like an excellent opportunity to explore their relationship.

_Requested by CarpeDiemEveryday_

fire plus earth equals glass

Republic City wasn't exactly known for its plush beaches. Somewhere in the city's construction, the waters had become rather polluted and rocky. There weren't many spots that still held the beauty of the shorelines it had once been home to.

But the bending brothers had found a little cove-virtually untouched by the filthy fingers of the hard spun city. The sand was smooth and fine and black as onyx; the grains were remnants of a long forgotten fire and a mad king. During the summer months when the nights were balmy and the breeze from the sea brought a welcome coolness to their fevered skin, the brothers would sleep in the shelter of their hidden cove and bask in memories of a happier time.

Even homeless as they were, that cove offered a welcome home that they'd thought they lost. It wasn't much, in retrospect, but at the time it meant everything.

On one such balmy summer night, the brothers had built a fire on the untouched black sand. Or, rather, I should say that Mako built a fire while Bolin watched with rapt attention. Bolin had not yet grasped the concept that you could learn by experience rather than just by observation. Of course, he also assumed that Mako willed the fire into existence with his fire bending. That was not the case, of course. Mako didn't often resort to fire bending. The wounds were still too fresh and raw at the ripe age of ten. He only used his fire bending if he absolutely had to and even then, it was sparingly.

The fire still felt unsafe against his skin. A traitorous gift. Rather, a curse. He still cringed every time he snapped his fingers to light a flame.

"We used to come out here with mom and dad, right?" Bo noted uncertainly. He remembered the landscape very vaguely, like a dream he couldn't quite grasp. The images were just blurs and flashes, but the place had always felt familiar. Safe.

"Yeah, we did." Mako noted stoically. Their parents were a touchy subject with the elder boy. There were still days when Bolin would wake up and forget. He'd ask where mommy and daddy were. Mako didn't know how to respond on those days.

"I don't remember it." Bolin muttered quietly. He had a puzzled expression, like his hands longed to grasp at things that didn't exist. Mako let out an impatient sigh, his temper rising. The past two years had been something of an endless cycle. Bolin was always on the edge of tears, always wishing for their parents to return. Mako was on edge as well; he didn't know how many times he'd have to tell his brother the horrible truth before he started believing it.

He couldn't say he was surprised though. If he hadn't watched them die, he doubted he'd be able to grasp the concept himself.

"Perhaps that's better then." Mako noted quietly, stoking the flames with a stick. He tended their fire carefully, his eyes always watchful. One night it had almost spread to a nearby building. He couldn't afford to let it get away from him.

Bolin's lip quivered. "But I don't... I don't think I... Mako, I don't think I remember them either." His voice was weak and strained, the tears slipping silently down the apples of his cheeks.

Mako startled, his golden eyes wide and shocked. He blinked at his crying brother; no doubt a regular sight. But this was different. Something within him snapped and suddenly he regretted bringing his brother to this so-called safe place. A place that only served to remind Bolin that he didn't have parents and nor would he ever. His memories would fade so easily; the emptiness of that paralyzed the elder boy for several long minutes. He couldn't speak, couldn't think, could only stare across the fire at his younger brother and wonder how they'd reached this place.

Abruptly, Mako let out a strangled cry, his fist colliding with the sand. The fire burst into a small mushroom, startling Bolin to his back. Forks of lightning shot out in all directions. The elder of the two boys cried out in pain and then there was nothing but smoke and the dull crackle of flames.

Bolin sat up, his tears forgotten, and scrambled around the fire to examine Mako who seemed to be lightly singed. "Mako, are you alright?"

Mako sat up, wincing. He'd electrocuted himself a little, his knuckles bubbling with burns. He hissed through his teeth, tears barely hidden beneath his lashes. "I'm sorry, Bolin. I wish none of this had ever happened. I wish I could have saved them." Mako's voice was tight, all his restraint concentrated in holding back tears.

Mako was surprised when his brother embraced him, burying his little head in his shoulder. He looked up at Mako with a small smile. "It's okay, brother. I'm just glad we have each other." Mako couldn't help but smile back and hug Bolin tighter.

When they pulled away, the two finally scanned their surroundings.

In a haphazard circle stood dozens of beautiful glass figurines. Their spindly fingers reached into the sky, pointing just slightly towards where Bolin and Mako sat in the sand. They examined them with wide eyes. "Did I do that?" Mako asked in wonder.

"I think so. Hey, maybe we can sell them and get some dumplings for dinner tomorrow!"

Mako was lying if he said that smile didn't bring one to his own lips.


	47. lecture

**AN:** So I've been reading through my prompts. This one... Well, it was quite conflicting for me. Because I ship Makorra pretty hard. And I love Mako as a character, despite the stupid things he's done. And he gets a lot of hate. And, while I do think he deserved to get told off (particularly by Asami, bless her kind heart), I don't think he deserves NEARLY the amount of flack he's gotten.

That being said, I couldn't quite take this prompt seriously. So... Um... This fic is going to be VERY farcical. Basically, I'm trying to make this as ridiculous as possible, because in my opinion, Amon doesn't have room to talk.

_Requested by Jokermask18_

Amon lectures Mako

"Spirits, finally. You know, you're a pain to get a hold of. Do you know how many chi blockers I've gone through to capture you? I gotta tell you man, it's hard to find good help these days. It's not like there's a website I can go to look up the Minions Guild of the Four Nations."

Mako raised a skeptical brow at the pacing man across from him. He seemed eerily genial, even with the mask. He had half a mind to struggle against the restraints binding his hands to the wall, but he was too enamored with the bouncing man before him to think about it too seriously.

"Um. Okay. So, are you setting up some sort of trap or something for Korra by catching me?" Mako asked uncertainly, cocking his head. Amon rounded on him, a hand held up to his chin in deep thought.

"No, no. On the contrary. I have no intention of bothering the Avatar at the moment. No, I just wanted to get an opportunity to have a bit of a discussion with you about your treatment of women." The elder man sat cross-legged in front of Mako and clasped his hands. It was strangely childlike. Mako felt a defensive scowl form across the line of his brows.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, I have been observing your relationship with the Avatar and Hiroshi Sato's daughter for quite some time. I know you've grown up without parents, but that's really no excuse for the way you've treated these girls. I mean, of course, I hate the Avatar, but Ms. Sato is perfectly fine with me, providing she eventually chooses to join her father and I in our tyrannical reign over benders and non benders alike. So, really, what I wanted to say was that you really ought to have been honest with Ms. Sato right from the off. When the Avatar kissed you. You're never going to get any tail if you lie to women like that. Furthermore, it's quite selfish of you to pursue the Avatar so soon after you and Ms. Sato cut ties (quite ambiguously I might add). You could have AT LEAST waited until book two to make a move-you know, let the ravenous fangirls cool off from your mistakes. I mean, really, how stupid can you be?"

Amon finished his speech, hands splayed. Mako sensed there was a patronizing smile behind the unmovable mask.

They stared each other down for several long moments, neither of them daring to breathe.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Amon startled. "Excuse me?"

"I said, are you fucking kidding me? You've spent the entirety of book one terrorizing innocent people, and you're going to lecture me on my stupid teenage mistakes? Shall we recap? You kidnapped a bunch of benders,-granted, some of them criminals-my brother included who has never harmed a single person in his life, and took their bending away. Bending being essentially a part of their body and soul, something that makes them who they are, the loss of which is equivalent to the amputation of a limb or the remove of a vital organ. Furthermore, you terrorized and abused a teenage girl, who, while being the Avatar, is also still a child just learning to cope with MAJOR responsibilities she never asked for. You distributed weapons to the general public that allowed for the electrocution of innocent people. AND SPOILER ALERT, you blood bent and took your own brothers bending away. You threatened and nearly stole the bending of children (who also happen to be the last benders of their kind). You deceived thousands of people with your lies and you ambiguously killed your lieutenant, who might've probably been the closest thing you had to a friend while you've been in Republic City. So excuse me if I don't listen to a damn thing you have to say you self righteous asshole."

Mako huffed up flames.

Amon blinked behind his mask. "Well that was rude. I guess I'll just have to take your bending away for that."


	48. contest

**AN:** So, someone requested that I do this particular prompt today and as it is the start of Borra week, it only seemed fitting that I write this one today. And let me just say, if Borra was canon, I might actually die from the adorable. I'm not even kidding. While I was writing this and imagining their child... Gosh they would have the cutest child to ever exist on this planet. I mean, I personally feel like any child birthed from Korra's loins would be flawless, but with Bolin? Those precious green eyes and little cowlick might kill me.

Uh, so, with that in mind, here's some cute for your pleasure.

Also, I couldn't think of a decent earth bender name for their child, so forgive me for my poor choices. XD

_Requested by Jokermask18_

Bitty Belching Contest

The pair of them glared at each other over the table. The stillness was deafening. Not a pinprick of sound could move through the vacuum the pair of them created. They inhaled oxygen and kept it boiling in their chests. It was a wonder neither of them imploded.

Between them sitting ominously were two glasses of lychee juice, full to the brim. Their hands were positioned around the glasses, but neither of them touched their respective beverages.

"So, are we going to do this thing, or what?" Korra asked carefully, an evil eye descending on the girl seated across from her.

The child's eye twitched and a pout identical to Korra's formed on her lips. Her bright green eyes narrowed. Sweat dripped down her brow. The little curl of a cowlick at the crown of her head swayed in the nonexistent wind. "Yeah alright. Are you ready to lose?" Her smirk was confident as she picked up her glass. The little eight year-old held it up to her lips, a challenge.

Korra lifted her glass, leaning over the table. "I think you'll be the loser this time, Bria." The little girl's palm flattened against the surface of the table. She tipped her glass, her mother echoing the movement. Without a second thought, the pair of them drained their respective cups, leaving little but sticky fingers and slick lips.

When they had gulped down their juice, they slammed their glasses to the table in perfect unison. Licking liquid from their lips, they continued to glare at each other, determination writ in every line of their faces.

Korra made a face, a hand moving to clutch at her stomach. Her eyes scrunched, her lips pursed, and her cheeks puffed up like a turtle blow-fish. She winced before her fist collided violently with her collarbone, eliciting a roaring belch that filled the vacuous room with sound (and the faint odor of lychee juice). The burp extended for several long seconds. Bria counted the moments on her hands, glaring when she had to start adding up the tens of seconds in her head.

When the belch finally petered off, Bria sighed with relief. "Fifty two seconds. Chump stuff." She declared proudly, wiggling two fingers at her mother to demonstrate her clearly superior counting ability.

"Oh yeah? You think you can do better?" Korra asked haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest. Bria's eyes scrunched up in defiance, the idea of losing being completely absurd to the little eight year-old's mind. She scoffed and brushed imaginary dust off the shoulder of her tunic.

"Watch and learn, mother." She stated. She sucked in a consuming breath, her face turning red with the effort. Her green eyes grew wide with concentration, her button nose turned up to the ceiling. She counted the seconds on her hands, swallowing oxygen with each passing second. Then, her cheeks deflated, she opened her lips, and she thumped herself in the chest.

The belch that followed was high and loud, filling the house with it's resonating sound. Her chest, puffed with air, fell slowly the longer the belch lasted. It rose and fell with the opening and closing of Bria's lips, a magnificent symphony of bodily sound. Her hands rose, moving with with sound, conducting her own orchestra.

Korra's eyes widened, her fingers steadily counting off the seconds that the burp continued. As she approached her record, her jaw dropped, her fingers ticking off second after second and until she began to lose count somewhere around eighty or so seconds. She abandoned the task and looked up at her daughter, marveling at the small child's lung capacity.

Bria waved a decisive hand, bringing her belching symphony to a resounding close. She shut her mouth, eyes bright and smiling as big as the sun. "How's that, chump."

Korra extended a bemused hand to her daughter over the table. "Well played, baby. Well played."


	49. yakone

**AN:** So I became aware while rereading my prompts that the previous was meant to be a belching contest with Borra's son. Oops. Sorry about that. I just always imagined a little girl, so that's how it came out. My deepest apologies. I can't say I regret it too much because she was pretty adorable, just like her parents.

Anyway, I've had a time of it today because I kept looking over my prompts and coming up completely blank. I finished FMA: Brotherhood last night and it left me in a creative funk. I mean, how does one measure up to shit like that? I digress.

I just decided to pick one and write. I really make no promises that today's drabble will be any good because I'm just really out of it.

_Requested by Jokermask18_

Yakone lives

Snow came down in a constant torrent. Flakes of it stuck to his lashes, even beyond the macabre mask fashioned from Republic City. It was more of a hindrance than ever in this cold climate. The air was vaguely breathable on the mountain, but he knew it wasn't smart to reveal his true face just yet. He had to be alone with him first. Party to the villagers escorting him, he couldn't risk showing his true identity. People talked, after all.

"There, sir." One of the villagers called through the blizzard. Wrapped in traditional water tribe coats, he pointed to the hut at the edge of the mountain. It was nearly buried in snow, the only light coming from a small opening in it's surface. Smoke rose and disappeared from a chimney on the roof.

The man called Amon nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality. I need no more assistance from here." He waved the man and his two sons off. His sons were two boys in their mid teens. They reminded him of someone else, but he didn't care to think about who too much. These boys were non benders. Warriors. Fishermen. Hunters. Irrelevant.

"Don't hesitate to call on us any time if you ever need anything!" The man called from below as Amon mounted the hill. His voice was nearly lost in the whistle of the wind. Amon had already forgotten his name.

He reached the crest of the hill in no time at all. Standing at the mouth of the little house, he hesitated. His fist clenched, the snow beneath him crystallizing into ice before melting and pooling around his feet. He felt none of the cold.

He bowed and proceeded through the entrance of the hut, letting his eyes adjust to the bright light of the fire at it's center. A man, smaller than an otter-penguin, huddled next to a cot across the room. He was preparing medicine of some sort on a small makeshift table. On the cot was the muddle of bones Amon had come to see. His skin was stretched tight and old, hair thinned and falling about the pillow on which he rested. His eyes were dull and distant, his lips cracked and raw. He wasn't half the man he'd once known. Just a shadow. Just the bones.

"May I speak with your master?" Amon muttered tonelessly to the small man working diligently beside the elder one. He looked up, surprised at Amon's presence. His eyes were wide behind thick-rimmed glasses but his hands continued to move expertly with the herbs on the table.

"And who might you be?" The healer was surprised but fearless. He stood and held his work deftly in big sprawling hands.

"That is none of your concern. Ask your master if he will see me."

"Now just wait a minute-." The healer was silenced with a weak wave of the elder man's hand. The old man sat up on his elbows and waved his servant away.

"Do not worry, Karo. I will see him. Leave us." He rolled roughly onto his side to face Amon, his distant eyes aged but intelligent.

The healer looked skeptical, as if he might argue, but left dutifully beyond Amon. Amon moved forward and sat before the older man, waiting.

"I shouldn't know that voice, but I do. Tell me, is your face as mysteriously recognizable as your voice?" The old man challenged, pointing weakly at the mask Amon wore.

"As recognizable as yours always was, father." Amon muttered, throwing back his hood and removing the mask. Beneath the facade gleamed Noatak, as angry as the day he'd left. "It took me a long time to find you. I was surprised you allowed mother to believe you were dead." He paused, reconsidering his words. "Well, no, I guess that's not entirely true. You always wanted to disappear, properly, didn't you?"

"A genetic trait, no doubt." Yakone replied with a sly smile. He glanced pointedly at the mask in Noatak's hands.

"Does my brother know you live?"

"Does he know that you live?"

Noatak did not answer. A muscle in his jaw worked, but he did not move.

"So did you come to kill me at long last, my son?" Yakone laid back on the cot, staring up at the ceiling with milk eyes.

Noatak considered this proposal and shook his head. "No. I considered it. But I do not wish to kill. I want you to see that I am better than you ever were. I only wish for the tyranny of bending to cease. Killing is... Inelegant."

"Theft is also inelegant. I hope you know that what is stolen can always be returned by one means or another. I was arrogant once. I believed I was stronger than the Avatar. I hope you do not make the same mistake I did, my son." Yakone's smile was bemused.

Noatak scoffed, a flicker of annoyance running across his face. "I am not so arrogant as you, father. I know my capabilities. My curse. I cannot save myself. But I can save others from their own destruction." He stood, making to leave. He pulled the hood up over his head.

"Noatak. Just know that if you trifle with the spirits they will strike you down." Yakone's words were powerful, even beyond the tremble in his throat. Noatak paused mid stride, considering.

Then he laced the mask around his face and disappeared back into the blizzard.


	50. author's note

**Author's Note**

Okay, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't have time or energy to write or post a drabble today. Tomorrow I fly out to Colorado and I currently have a huge laundry list of things to do before I go to bed. That being said, there will be no drabble today.

I do have a couple of announcements though. The first is that this is the start of the inconstant posting of drabbles. I most likely won't be able to post one every day because I'm not entirely certain I'll have a consistent internet connection (or time for that matter) for the next two weeks. It's my vacation, so it's gonna be kind of busy for me.

Second, I'm opening up prompts again. But I do have a catch. I will take enough prompts to reach 100 chapters on this story. And that's it. Then I'm done posting drabbles until Book 2 premieres. When book 2 does come back, I'll probably post a new set of drabbles. But until then, once I reach 100 chapters, that's it for this story. I've loved writing these, but once I start back to school, I'll only be able to do so much. And you know, life and stuff. Homework. Money. Jobs. All those nasty things that suck the energy from you.

On a relatively unrelated note, I've been thinking about posting a slightly OC ATLA fic I had, centered around Tui and La (the moon and ocean spirits) and I wondered if you guys would be interested in reading that at all. It comes with my crappy fanart XD.

Anyway, that's all for now. I promise I'll post a new fic as soon as humanly possible. TTFN.


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